ROME, Oct 13 (Hina) - An Italian-Croatian commission, whose task is to establish the exact number of Italian refugees who left their property in Croatia after the Second World War and who have the right to restitution, will be
established on Monday, Croatia's Ambassador to Italy said.
ROME, Oct 13 (Hina) - An Italian-Croatian commission, whose task is
to establish the exact number of Italian refugees who left their
property in Croatia after the Second World War and who have the
right to restitution, will be established on Monday, Croatia's
Ambassador to Italy said. #L#
The ten-member joint commission will consist of five
representatives from each country, Ambassador Drago Kraljevic said
on Sunday.
The commission's task is to establish whether there are Italian
refugees who have not been covered by any international agreement,
i.e. whose status have not been defined by the Ossimo and Rome
agreements.
The Italian minister in charge of relations with the parliament,
Carlo Giovanardi, explained that the accords would be honoured and
the commission would see whether there were refugees who had not
opted and their property had been nationalised after the WW II.
Italian refugees' associations insist that ethnic Italians who
fled Croatia after WW II be treated like other Croatian citizens by
the law on denationalisation.
The Italian government has earmarked 450 million euros in the 2003
budget as the fund for paying damages to Italian refugees for their
property which they had left and which cannot be given back to them
as they were covered by some international agreements in the
meantime.
This sum should be added to the amount of some 35 million dollars
which Zagreb should pay to Italy for that purpose.
According to some estimates, the value of the real assets was higher
than that determined by the Rome agreement in 1983, and the
difference should be compensated by the Italian authorities.
(hina) ms