BOSNIAN CROATS AND SERBS PROPOSE DEAL ON REFUGEES

MOSTAR, Aug 1 (Hina) - Heads of Bosnian Croat and Serb refugees, Stefo Masatovic and Lekso Kovac, on Friday signed a draft plan for the return of refugees to their homes or the permanent accommodation of refugees in their current places of residence. Moslem (Bosniak) representatives, in charge of refugee issues, did not attend Friday's meeting in Mostar, although, as Masatovic and Kovac claimed, they had been invited to come. According to the signed draft plan, Bosnia-Herzegovina's Council of Ministers is asked to instigate a procedure for adopting a law on refugees which will enable all Bosnian refugees and displaced persons to exercise their rights. The Ministerial Council is also asked to grant consent to the parallel implementation of two processes - enabling refugees to return to their homes and giving refugees the right of abode in places where they are now staying, according to their free choice of refugees. The signatories of the draft plan asked the Council to set up a state-run real estate agency for exchange and trade of property of Bosnian refugees. Masatovic said that he was leading the association representing about 400,000 Bosnian Croat refugees and displaced people, and claimed that according to a poll, 62 percent of the Bosnian Croat displaced would opt for the permanent accommodation in their new places of residence in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Kovac claimed that 800,000 Bosnian Serbs were refugees, and that 96 percent of them opted for the stay in their current places of residence. He added that "if the international community wants peace, it must take into consideration these facts." (hina) mm mš 011816 MET aug 97