MATESA MEETS MEMBERS OF NATIONAL TRUST ESTABLISHMENT COMMITTEE

( Editorial: --> 6802 ) ZAGREB, March 3 (Hina) - Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa on Tuesday met representatives of the National Trust Establishment Committee - the Committee President Vesna Skare-Ozbolt, Vice President Vojislav Stanimirovic and Committee member Milorad Pupovac. The purpose of the meeting was to see what had and what had not been done in the period following the completion of the reintegration process in the Danubian region, Premier Matesa said after the meeting, which was held behind closed doors. The Croatian state policy would be implemented on the whole state territory the way Croatian President proclaimed in his speech on the occasion of the UNTAES withdrawal, Matesa said. Vojislav Stanimirovic and Milorad Pupovac expressed conviction that today's meeting would contribute to speeding up the solution of problems which were hampering the continuation of peaceful reintegration, especially the two-way return. After 15 January, certain events have happened which do not contribute to the Croatian state and which have objectively slowed down the process of peaceful reintegration by a considerable degree, Matesa said. Today's meeting considered a set of questions, starting with the application and change of individual laws and factors which could accelerate the two-way return and reconstruction, being the most important issues, Matesa said. The Croatian state will see that all Croatian citizens are guaranteed full security and that incidents which happen occasionally are severely penalised, he added. Stanimirovic thanked Matesa for the comprehensive and useful meeting. Speaking about a "quiet exodus of Serbs from the Danubian region", Stanimirovic said it contributed neither to the Croatian state nor the local residents nor to individuals who were leaving the area. The meeting tackled reasons for the departure of Serbs, Stanimirovic said, adding that they were of an economic, social, security and political nature. "We believe that incidents, which are not on a mass scale but individual occurrences, should be prevented because they do damage to the peaceful reintegration," Stanimirovic said, adding that individuals must not take the law into their own hands. He stressed the need for finding a solution for a small number of Serb displaced people who are now in eastern Slavonia and need to return to their homes in other parts of Croatia. "They should not be evicted at all costs" from the houses they are currently occupying, said Stanimirovic. He added that Premier Matesa had given assurances that a solution would be found for about a hundred Serb families, while the solution for the remaining 2,500 Serb displaced would either be the return to their own homes, selling of their property or some other form of accommodation in eastern Slavonia. Milorad Pupovac said that the nature of those problems was not so difficult to prevent the Croatian government from solving them by using efficient measures. He welcomed the announced changes of legal and property relations, which, he added, would stimulate the return of both Croats and Serbs. (hina) mm rm 031544 MET mar 98