BANJA LUKA, April 30 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula and Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic outlined in Banja Luka on Monday a "catalogue of problems" which should be addressed again in Zagreb within two months
at the latest. Refugee returns continue to be the paramount issue. Picula held talks with Ivanic as part of a visit to the Bosnian Serb capital, during which he opened a Croatian consulate general and a Croatian Chamber of Commerce branch. The foreign minister described the visit as a "clear political and economic message" and as a useful means of communication between the two sides. "Today we... compiled a catalogue of problems, some of which are really serious," he told reporters. PM Ivanic said this first meeting between the new Bosnian Serb government and Croatian counterparts served to "count the problems and we agreed we would continue solving them very shortly
BANJA LUKA, April 30 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino
Picula and Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic outlined in
Banja Luka on Monday a "catalogue of problems" which should be
addressed again in Zagreb within two months at the latest.
Refugee returns continue to be the paramount issue.
Picula held talks with Ivanic as part of a visit to the Bosnian Serb
capital, during which he opened a Croatian consulate general and a
Croatian Chamber of Commerce branch.
The foreign minister described the visit as a "clear political and
economic message" and as a useful means of communication between
the two sides.
"Today we... compiled a catalogue of problems, some of which are
really serious," he told reporters.
PM Ivanic said this first meeting between the new Bosnian Serb
government and Croatian counterparts served to "count the problems
and we agreed we would continue solving them very shortly."
According to the two officials, these problems pertain to refugee
returns to pre-war homes, particularly the implementation of an
agreement on the return of 2,000 people from Croatia to Republika
Srpska and vice versa, property-related and border issues,
economic cooperation and some financial arrangements.
Picula told reporters the Croatian government decided a month ago
to earmark 20 million kuna (some $2.4 million) to finance the return
of several hundred Bosnian Croat families to Republika Srpska, in
order to enable the return to Croatia of Croatian Serbs who took
refuge in the Bosnian Serb entity during the 1990s conflict.
After the talks with Ivanic, the Croatian foreign minister headed
for Dvor na Uni where he should open a bridge across the Una river
connecting Dvor on the Croatian and Bosanski Novi on the Bosnian
side. The reconstruction of the bridge was financed by the United
States government. The event is expected to be attended by U.S.
ambassadors to Croatia and Bosnia, Lawrence Rossin and Thomas
Miller.
(hina) ha