RADIC SPEAKS ABOUT DECREE ON FLAT-LEASING IN E. CROATIA

( Editorial: --> 7255 ) ZAGREB, Jan 26 (Hina) - Croatian Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic Monday held a press conference on a decree on the lease of state-owned flats in the Danube river region of eastern Croatia which the government passed last week. According to the decree, Croatian citizens who held tenancy rights to a state-owned flat in eastern Croatia before 31 March 1991, may by 15 March 1998 submit a request for signing a contract on leasing the flat and acquire the status of a protected lease-holder. Such status entails the paying of a protected rent, which is much lower than trade rent. The decree refers to 5,000 flats owned before the war by companies, hospitals and other institutions and currently owned by the Republic of Croatia. The requests will be submitted to the Ministry for Construction and Housing. The decree will contribute to a speedier return to eastern Croatia, said Radic. Persons who currently occupy these flats but held no tenancy right to them before 31 March 1991 will have to move out. If they have no flat or house to move into in the Danube river region, they will be provided with temporary accommodation in places they resided in before 31 March 1991. They will have to move out of the flats they are currently in eight days after being provided with temporary accommodation. Reconstruction Minister Radic called on all who held tenancy rights in eastern Croatia not to miss the deadline for submitting requests. The government's office for displaced persons and refugees will launch an information campaign to that effect. Flats for which no request has been submitted will be allocated to people willing to work in eastern Croatia. Asked whether the government will pass a decree on the purchase of flats whose owners will achieve protected lease-holder status, Radic said it was too early to talk about that. He said the possibility would be considered after an analysis. The reconstruction minister said 5,000 flats and houses in the Danube river region would be reconstructed by late April, while reconstruction in the southern region of Dalmatia will be completed by May. It is correct that Croatia is assisting in the reconstruction of Bosnian Croat houses, said Radic in answer to a journalist's question, adding that Croatia had answered the invitation of a donors' conference for Bosnia-Herzegovina, becoming the largest donor. Croatia has so far invested DM 8.5 million in the reconstruction of houses in Kupres, and is currently investing DM 14 million for construction material for houses in central Bosnia and other parts of the country, said Radic. According to the head of the office for displaced persons and refugees, Lovre Pejkovic, there are 11,000 Bosniak (Muslim) refugees currently in Croatia. They are mostly privately accommodated, he said, adding 500 Bosnian refugees were situated in the Gasinci refugee camp, including 200 Bosniaks. The exact figure will be known after the re-registration in course, he added. (hina) ha jn 261525 MET jan 98