COUNCIL OF EUROPE DELEGATION VISITS VUKOVAR ( Editorial: --> 2959 )

( Editorial: --> 2959 ) VUKOVAR, Nov 22 (Hina) - A Council of Europe delegation met representatives of the Croatian Culture Ministry and local cultural institutions in Vukovar on Saturday for talks on the cultural revival of the Croatian Danube region. "Full consensus has been reached on the need for the reconstruction not only of cultural monuments but also of family houses, because only in that way can displaced Croats be encouraged to return to their homes in Vukovar," Culture Ministry official Naima Balic told reporters after a closed-door meeting at UN headquarters. The Council of Europe delegates saw for themselves that it was necessary to rebuild housing to make it possible for displaced people to return, Balic said. "Monuments can be restored, but if there are no people to live with those monuments (...) - then there's not much sense in it." The aim of the visit of the Council of Europe delegation was to assess Croatian cultural policy and a project drawn up by 28 independent researchers under the sponsorship of the Croatian Culture Ministry. The Council of Europe special rapporteur on cultural affairs in Croatia, Charles Landry, said that culture could encourage economic development and improve the quality of life, and that it was also one of the crucial sources of reconciliation. Landry also drew attention to the need for the reconstruction of family houses, saying that it would inspire much more confidence in people than, for example, the EU-financed reconstruction of two high rises in Vukovar. Assistant Culture Minister Nikola Zivkovic said that people in the Croatian Danube region had cultural needs, but that they first had to be ensured a decent life. (hina) vm 221611 MET nov 97