$ EINER SARAJEVO, June 11 (Hina) - The regulations of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia-Herzegovina which provided for a free return of refugees were not properly implemented and six months after the agreement had been signed the
situation was worse than at the beginning, Deputy High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement, Michael Steiner, said in Sarajevo on Tuesday after a meeting of a joint civil commission, whose work included government representatives of both entities and the state of Bosnia- Herzegovina.
ST
$ EINER
SARAJEVO, June 11 (Hina) - The regulations of the Peace Agreement
on Bosnia-Herzegovina which provided for a free return of refugees
were not properly implemented and six months after the agreement
had been signed the situation was worse than at the beginning,
Deputy High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace
Agreement, Michael Steiner, said in Sarajevo on Tuesday after a
meeting of a joint civil commission, whose work included government
representatives of both entities and the state of Bosnia-
Herzegovina. #L#
Steiner told a press conference that in the last six months
only about 100,000 out of 2.4 million displaced persons and
refugees registered in Bosnia-Herzegovina and abroad had returned
to their homes. At the same time about 90,000 persons left their
homes because of continued ethnic cleansing, as in Teslic, or as
Steiner termed it "ethnic engineering". For the latter Steiner
mentioned the moving of Croats from central Bosnia to Drvar,
western Bosnia.
Steiner said that a special plan of the international
community would be presented at the next meeting in Florence,
Italy, which would facilitate a systematic return of refugees.
Cooperation in the implementation of the plan would be a condition
for help in the reconstruction, said Steiner.
He also stressed that the government of the Federation of
Bosnia-Herzegovina had been demanded to immediately change the Law
on Abandoned Flats, which until now disabled the return of
refugees. Republika Srpska will have to do the same with its Law on
Using Abandoned Property.
Representatives of the governments of the Federation and
Republika Srpska were demanded to establish an integral system of
customs, paying and telecommunications in Bosnia-Herzegovina as
soon as possible.
A mobile telephone system connecting the two entities will be
established by the beginning of elections.
Steiner hoped that a solution would be found to enable the
alliance of five opposition parties to take part in the Mostar
elections. A strong opposition was necessary for a strong
democratic development of the country, Steiner concluded.
(hina) ha jn
112040 MET jun 96