ZAGREB, March 27 (Hina) - Parliament President Vladimir Seks has promised Croats expelled from north-eastern Serbia's Srijem, Backa and Banat regions that their biggest problem -- pensions -- will be solved soon.
ZAGREB, March 27 (Hina) - Parliament President Vladimir Seks has
promised Croats expelled from north-eastern Serbia's Srijem, Backa and
Banat regions that their biggest problem -- pensions -- will be solved
soon.#L#
Seks attended an electoral assembly of the Association of Croats
expelled from said regions in Zagreb on Saturday.
According to the association's data, about 1,000 persons who earned
their pensions in Serbia-Montenegro have still not received any money
since a social insurance agreement between Croatia and
Serbia-Montenegro went into force in May 2003 while 3,500 received
half the amount they were given in Croatia before May 2003.
Seks announced he would send a draft bill expected to solve this issue
to the government soon.
At today's assembly, the association and the Society of Vojvodina and
Danube River Region Croats signed a petition urging the government and
parliament to cancel the social insurance agreement with
Serbia-Montenegro, which they claim is not acting in accordance with
the deal. They also ask that the pensioners in question be reinstated
in Croatia's pension system. If Croatia cannot cancel the agreement,
they ask that it ensure that it is complied with.
The association re-elected Mate Juric as its president. He said the
association was not happy with the government's financial support and
voiced hope the new government would have more understanding for them
than the previous one.
The association welcomed the call for returning to prewar homes made
by the parliament speaker of the northern Serbian province of
Vojvodina, Nenad Canak, but said the time was not right yet to return
to Serbia-Montenegro.
(Hina) ha