SADAKO OGATA TO VISIT ZAGREB FRIDAY ( Editorial: --> 2474 )

( Editorial: --> 2474 ) ZAGREB, 20 Nov (Hina) - The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Sadako Ogata will visit Zagreb on Friday, where she is to discuss the acceleration of the two-way return of displaced people and refugees in Croatia, UNHCR spokeswoman in Zagreb Ljerka Drazenovic said Thursday. Ogata is to meet the President of the National Trust Establishment Committee, Vesna Skare-Ozbolt. The two officials will discuss ways to speed up the two-way return of displaced people and refugees. "UNHCR would like to see the return unfold at a higher speed, in particular the return of Croat displaced people, of whom a very small number have returned to the Croatian Danube river region," Drazenovic said. According to UNHCR data, only 1,500 out of some 100,000 Croat displaced people have returned to the Danube river region. At the same time, some 9,000 Serb refugees have returned to their homes, mostly from the Danube river region, and from Yugoslavia. Ogata and her Croatian hosts are also to discuss the return of refugees to Bosnia-Herzegovina and the work of non-government humanitarian organisations in Croatia. On Friday, Ogata will meet the U.N. Transitional Administrator for Eastern Slavonia, William Walker, and discuss with him the work of a joint working group for the two-way return. The working group consists of representatives of UNHCR, UNTAES and the Croatian Government Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees. Sadako Ogata is paying a two-day visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina in an attempt to stimulate the return of refugees which is currently very slow. (hina) rm 201746 MET nov 97