"The day of Christ's birth is one of the greatest holidays in modern civilisation. On behalf of the SDSS and my own behalf I wish that all people of good will may celebrate Christmas in the warm atmosphere of their families," Stanimirovic said in his message.
He called on members of the public celebrating Christmas according to the Julian calendar to remember their fellow countrymen "who, through no fault of their own, have been unable to feel the warmth of Christmas in their homes for 10 or 15 years".
The leader of the Serb National Council and parliamentary deputy, Milorad Pupovac, today visited a refugee camp in Sisak, some 60 kilometres east of Zagreb, and distributed Christmas gifts to returnees accommodated there.
There are 87 returnees in the camp, 60 Roma and 27 Serbs, who have been living in inappropriate conditions and waiting for their housing problems to be solved.
Speaking about the returnees' housing problems, Pupovac said that the problem of tenancy rights holders would be solved this year and that returnees' houses that had not been reconstructed yet would be reconstructed. The housing problem of returnees whose houses have not been reconstructed due to unclear ownership relations or whose houses have been sold without their consent will be discussed with the government, Pupovac said.