$ HALI SAYS WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (Hina) - Human rights situation in the areas of former U.N. sectors West, North and South in Croatia had improved, the U.N. Security Council Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said in New York on
Friday.
G
$ HALI SAYS
WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (Hina) - Human rights situation in the areas of
former U.N. sectors West, North and South in Croatia had improved,
the U.N. Security Council Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
said in New York on Friday. #L#
The sectors West, North and South belong to the central and
southern parts of Croatia, liberated by the Croatian police and
army forces in the summer of 1995.
The number of cases of human rights violation had considerably
decreased in the former U.N. sectors, compared to those registered
in the months following the military operations, Ghali said in his
report on the measures of the Croatian Government aimed at
improving the human rights situation in the liberated areas.
Croatian Ambassador in the United Nations Mario Nobilo said in
Washington that Croatia could be satisfied with the report since it
commended its efforts aimed at improving the human rights
situation.
Next week, the Security Council should publish a report on the
situation in Croatia, which, it is expected, would be similar to
Ghali's report.
Ghali's report does not deal with the human rights situation
in the areas of eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Srijem, which
are still under the Serb occupation. The establishment of the
United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia
(UNTAES) is under way.
The Croatian Government had taken various measures aimed at
protecting human rights and its initiative was yielding positive
results, Ghali said in the report.
He criticised the Croatian police for not being sufficiently
present in the sectors. The Croatian legal system was slow in
starting legal proceedings against perpetrators of human rights
violations, he added.
A decision of the Croatian Government to lift the time limit
for the return of property as well as the amnesty of 450 Serbs was
a step forward to co-existence and return of Croatian Serb refugee,
Ghali said, warning though that some government offices obstructed
the processing of requests for return.
By the end of January, some 200 Croatian Serb refugees had
returned to Croatia with the help of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, Ghali said, adding that several hundred
refugees had returned without UNHCR's aid.
It was expected from Croatia to secure just legal proceedings
against 389 Serb prisoners and seriously consider their amnesty,
the report said.
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