Mastruko said that the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) had signed agreements with the United States on the compensation of its citizens. Croatia, as a successor country to the former Yugoslavia, has succeeded those agreements, Mastruko said.
The issue of the restitution of nationalised or confiscated property of foreign citizens was raised after Croatia initialled an agreement with Austria on compensation for seized property. Under the agreement, Croatia would be obliged to compensate Germans exiled from Croatia to Austria after World War II for their property seized under communist rule.
Since 1991 foreign nationals have filed 4,211 claims for the restitution of property seized during the communist regime, with estimates showing that 756.8 million kuna of compensation would have to be paid over a period of 20 years, Croatian Justice Minister Vesna Skare Ozbolt said at a government session last week.
Austrian nationals have filed 444 claims, which would cost 116.9 million kuna or five million kuna annually over 20 years, she said.
Claims filed by US nationals amount to 36.8 million kuna, those filed by Israeli nationals 49 million, and those filed by Slovenes 30 million kuna, the condition for the latter being reciprocity, the minister was cited by the Voice of America as saying.