ZAGREB, May 5 (Hina) - The Croatian Interior Ministry on Wednesday issued a statement saying it was continuing the conversion of an army barracks in Stubicka Slatina into an asylum centre and that most objections from local residents
to this plan were unfounded.
ZAGREB, May 5 (Hina) - The Croatian Interior Ministry on Wednesday
issued a statement saying it was continuing the conversion of an army
barracks in Stubicka Slatina into an asylum centre and that most
objections from local residents to this plan were unfounded.#L#
The conversion of the former army barracks in Stubicka Slatina resumes
in line with a government decision on the fulfilment of conditions for
admission to the EU and as part of efforts to create conditions for
the application of the Asylum Law, which will go into force on July 1,
the statement said.
Explaining its position, the ministry said that the local authorities
had agreed to the construction of the centre before relevant project
documentation was drawn up and should have informed local residents
about the ministry's plan, the statement said.
Residents of Stubicka Slatina, a town about 30 km northwest of Zagreb,
staged a rally on April 25 protesting against the ministry's plan to
open an asylum centre in their neighbourhood. The protesters were
addressed by Interior Minister Marijan Mlinaric, who was eventually
booed away.
The Interior Ministry said in today's statement that the project
documentation for the centre was being reviewed by an authorised
consultant of the European Commission's Delegation in Zagreb.
(Hina) rml