CURRENT LAW ON FLATS THWARTS RETURN OF CROATS TO SARAJEVO-ZUBAK ( Editorial: --> 0021 )

( Editorial: --> 0021 ) SARAJEVO, Nov 11 (Hina) - The Croat member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's collective Presidency, Kresimir Zubak, on Tuesday fully supported proposals of the international High Representative's Office for changes of the law on flats and real estate ownership. He warned that under the current legislation Sarajevo authorities intentionally thwarted the return of a great number of Croats to the Bosnian capital. Zubak presented his stands in a letter forwarded to High Representative Carlos Westendorp, his deputy Jacques Klein, ambassadors of Contact Group member countries and commissioners for the Bosnian Croat-Moslem Federation, Zubka's office said. "In Sarajevo, political leaders speak publicly of the return, but, in fact, everything is being done to prevent the return," Zubak's letter read. Zubak reiterated that 11,000 Croat refugees had applied for the return to Sarajevo up to now and according to some estimates, 15,000 Croats would like to come back to their hometown. Almost 3,000 flats where they used to live before the war are now occupied by other tenants. He said that the enforcement of the law on abandoned flats, adopted during the war by authorities of the former Republic of Bosnia- Herzegovina, had devastating consequences. He added that no eviction had been carried out so far to enable pre-war tenants to return to their flats, not even under final court verdicts. Zubak voiced hope that Sarajevo Croats would soon be enabled to come back to their city. (hina) jn mš 111942 MET nov 97