BOTH BOSNIAN ENTITIES HAVE TO CHANGE LAWS ON HOUSING RELATIONS ( Editorial: --> 9019 )

( Editorial: --> 9019 ) SARAJEVO, 7 Nov (Hina) - The current laws on housing and property relations in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Republika Srpska represent a direct obstacle to the return of at least half a million displaced people and refugees, said Craig Jennes, head of the Human Rights Department of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Sarajevo. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Jennes accused the authorities in both entities of deliberately avoiding to fulfill their obligations from the Dayton agreement, in particular Annex VII of the peace agreement, which guarantees the unconditional right to return to all refugees. Jennes recalled that President Alija Izetbegovic had personally stated that not a single former member of the Bosnian army would be evicted from a flat so that refugees could return. The current laws in the Federation represent a direct obstacle to the return of some 10,000 Croats to Sarajevo, said Jennes, adding that doubts the authorities were trying to impose could not be subject to a discussion as the answers to such questions had been given in Dayton a long time ago. Peggy Hicks, head of the Human Rights Department of the Office of the High Representative, said that the Federation authorities were acting against the law by accepting as valid only those return claims which had been lodged within 15 days after the signing of the peace agreement. Hicks estimated that the regulations in the Bosnian Serb entity were equally illegal. This is a very serious question because privatisation is to follow. If current tenants are allowed to buy socially-owned apartments, there will be no return of refugees, Jennes said, adding that the authorities in the two entities were trying to reward those who were loyal to them during the war by giving them apartments. The international community would not allow that, he said. Simon Haselock, spokesman for the Office of the High Representative, said that if the current laws on housing and property relations were not changed until the conference on the implementation of the peace agreement in Bonn on 6 December, the international community would introduce new sanctions. He refused to say what those sanctions could consist of. (hina) jn rm , 071509 MET nov 97