VALENTIC MEETS WAR INVALIDS, FAMILIES OF DEAD SOLDIERS

ZAGREB, Feb 23 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Nikica Valentic today met representatives of the Union of Croatian Patriotic War Invalids (HVIDRA), led by Mladen Jurkovic. This was another in a series of meetings Valentic had held with war victims. Valentic presented government proposals for solving the problems of military war invalids, including the allocation of apartments. Croatia was planning to launch a project for building a thousand apartments this year and ten thousand apartments in the next three years, he said. Valentic supported HVIDRA's demand that a part of the funds intended for apartment construction be allocated to loans for individual housing construction projects. The talks also centred on support to war invalids who wanted to start their own business, and the payment of dividends. Valentic also received representatives of the Association of the families of Croatian soldiers killed in war. They drew attention to injustices they encountred and demanded an improvement to their status. They also demanded some of the rights available to widows of soldiers who had been killed. (hina) jn as vm 231948 MET feb 95