Speaking at a discussion on the situation in the region, organised by an NGO called the Igman Initiative, Ambassador Davidson recalled that in 2005 Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and the former state union of Serbia and Montenegro had signed the so-called Sarajevo Declaration, envisaging, among other things, completion of the process of refugee return in the region by the end of 2006.
The US diplomat said one of the reasons why this goal had not been achieved was the fact that Croatian Serb refugees did not have the right to claim back flats over which they used to have tenancy rights.
Unlike Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina treated tenancy rights as private property and all people who used to have tenancy rights before the war were entitled to claim back their flats, Davidson said.
Croatia's Ambassador to Bosnia, Josip Vrbosic, who also took part in the discussion, presented the position of the Croatian government on the completely unobstructed return of refugees.
He recalled that 130,000 refugees had already exercised that right.
Repossession of private property was unquestionable in that process, and former holders of tenancy rights were provided with housing, Vrbosic said.
"We did it equally for all Croatian citizens, without discriminating against them on any grounds," he added.
The ambassador said that the European Court of Human Rights had confirmed Croatia's position that tenancy rights were not the same as ownership rights.