UNHCR'S REGULAR MONTHLY REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS

( Editorial: --> 5151 ) GENEVA, Feb 27 (Hina) - The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Friday issued its regular monthly report on the human rights situation in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The part of the report which is dedicated to Croatia discusses, among other things, the trade union protest held in Zagreb last Friday, which, according to the report, went smoothly and without the use of force. However, according to Edward Flynn with UNHCR's Human Rights Office, the Croatian authorities had violated the right to freedom of expression by banning the rally from Zagreb's main square. The report also stressed that many Serbs from the Croatian Danubian area were returning to other parts of Croatia on their own, because the procedure for obtaining the necessary permit took too long. The report noted that Croatia still sought 2,150 missing persons, of whom 1,345 were from Eastern Slavonia. The UNHCR Office also announced that the European Union would provide more substantial financial aid to independent media in Croatia, particularly electronic ones. (hina) mm as 272153 MET feb 98