TWO-WAY RETURN OF REFUGEES TO BE ACCELERATED

( Editorial: --> 9943 ) VUKOVAR, Dec 20 (Hina) - After the expiry of the UNTAES mandate on 15 January, nothing special will happen in the Croatian Danube river region. The Croatian government will continue to implement the Trust Establishment Programme, because, despite the completion of the peaceful reintegration process, a lot still has to be done, chairwoman of the National Trust Establishment Committee, Vesna Skare-Ozbolt, told reporters in Vukovar on Saturday. "Despite the panicked news about the mass departure of Serbs from the Danubian area, aimed at discrediting the successes of the Croatian government, the exodus has been stopped," she said. Ozbolt reiterated that the goal of the Croatian government was not only to reintegrate the territory, but also the people living in the UN-administered eastern region of Croatia. "We are intensively working on the issues of the two-way return, protection of private property and improving of living conditions of all residents of the Croatian Danubian area," she said, adding that the Croatian government would continue to strengthen the trust of the Serb population in Croatian authorities, not only through rights, but also through commitments towards the Croatian society. Transitional Administrator for the Danube river region, William Walker, told the news conference that despite numerous efforts of the extremist propaganda on both sides, most of the Serb residents of the Danubian area believed in the possibility of living in the area. Since 1 December, international monitors had only recorded 2,000 persons to have left the region, he added. As many as 150,000 residents of the Danubian area accepted Croatian documents, realising that they could not find the solution to their problems in Yugoslavia or Republika Srpska, and Serbs that had already left the area wanted to return, Walker said. Head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission in Croatia, Tim Guldimann, said that success in the reintegration had been almost unimaginable two years ago. Recalling the Croatian government pledge to respect its assumed obligations, Guldimann stressed that the Danubian area would remain under the scrutiny of the international community after 15 January. US Ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, said that the goal of the international community had not been for all of the Serbs to remain in the Danube region, but had wished to offer them a chance to remain. He added that there is no reason for any Serb to leave the area. A representative of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), James Lynch, expressed dissatisfaction with the slowness of the return of displaced persons to their homes, and advocated a speedier realisation of the two-way return, in which the UNHCR would help the Croatian government. The participants of the press conference stressed that the economic reconstruction of the Danubian area was important, as without it, there would be no normalisation of life. They also expressed satisfaction with the security situation in the region, especially since the Croatian interior Ministry had taken over control of the Transitional Police Force in the area. (hina) lm 201747 MET dec 97