OSIJEK, Feb 9 (Hina) - "The new UN mandate is clear - the reintegration of eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Srijem into the Croatian constitutional and legal system," deputy head of the Croatian President's Office, Vesna
Skare-Ozbolt said on Friday's meeting with the managing board of the Osijek County Refugee Union.
OSIJEK, Feb 9 (Hina) - "The new UN mandate is clear - the
reintegration of eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Srijem into
the Croatian constitutional and legal system," deputy head of the
Croatian President's Office, Vesna Skare-Ozbolt said on Friday's
meeting with the managing board of the Osijek County Refugee Union.
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Skare-Ozbolt visited Osijek on Friday, accompanied by the head
of the President's Military Cabinet, Major General Slavko Baric.
Discussing the return of refugees, Skare-Ozbolt said that the
main criteria for returning to the still occupied areas would be
the 1991 population census.
Elections in this area would be organized under Croatian
regulations. People who for any reason do not return to their homes
by that time would be able to vote in their place of residence at
the time, Ozbolt said.
Refugees were ensured of the right of ownership and the
Croatian Government is obliged to help the returnees in the
reconstruction of their homes and in normalizing their lifestyles,
said Ozbolt.
Discussing the reintegration of the occupied Croatian Danubian
area, Baric said that "there is no possibility of a military
solution, except in case UN forces withdraw." This is when the
issue becomes a problem of Croatia.
The Refugee Union representatives asked about measures to be
taken to encourage the refugees to return and about the
implementation of a pilot programme for returning to occupied areas
in Croatia.
Skare-Ozbolt and General Baric also met with the Osijek County
Prefect, Branimir Glavas, and the head of the office for a
temporary administration in charge of establishing the Croatian
authority in eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Srijem, Ivica
Vrkic.
Vrkic said that the Office was particularly interested in
uniting split families and searching for missing persons. He added
that a phone line had been opened on Monday via which people from
the occupied areas can contact the Office.
Ozbolt and Baric also held talks on Friday with the General of
the Croatian Army Regional Command in Osijek ,Duro Decak.
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