SOCIAL CARE CENTRE OPENED IN VUKOVAR ( Editorial: --> 0591 )

( Editorial: --> 0591 ) VUKOVAR, 13 Nov (Hina) - Croatian Labour and Social Welfare Minister Joso Skara and the head of the UNTAES civil affairs sector, Gerard Fischer, officially opened a Social Care Centre in Vukovar on Thursday. With today's opening of the Social Care Centre and with all other completed tasks, the Croatian Government has fulfilled all commitments it had taken over by signing an agreement with UNTAES on the reintegration of the social care system, Skara said, adding that conditions for the completion of that part of the UNTAES mandate had been created. In that regard, Skara announced that the payment of financial allowances for the beneficiaries of the Employment Office would start on 1 December, adding that almost all pension allowance requests had been solved on the basis of the right to pension acquired by 1991. Estimating that the Vukovar Social Care Centre will be fully operational only when it starts helping Croat returnees to Vukovar area, Skara said that the Croatian social care system would help all residents of the Croatian Danube river region alike, in line with laws, and regardless of their ethnic or other differences. (hina) jn rm 131829 MET nov 97