ASSOCIATION OF DISPLACED SATISFIED WITH TEMPO OF RETURN TO DANUBIAN AREA

DANUBIAN AREA ( Editorial: --> 4473 ) VUKOVAR, Nov 28 (Hina) - The Croatian Displaced Persons' Association held their first meeting in Vukovar on Friday at which they expressed satisfaction with the tempo of return of displaced persons to the Danubian area. Head of the government Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees, Lovre Pejkovic, informed the Association's representatives that 3,180 returnees to the Danubian area had been registered, but, according to him, there were still at least 4,000 returnees unregistered. The Office for Displaced Persons had received 25,000 requests from families for their return, or 73,000 persons, Pejkovic said, and announced simplified administrative procedures for the return. "I am exceptionally satisfied with the number of returnees to the Danubian area, which despite all the difficulties, is big," Pejkovic said. The status of displaced person has been cancelled for 56,000 returnees, and another 11,500 persons will have their displaced status cancelled by the end of the year. Pejkovic warned the Association's representatives that the 1998 government budget did not contain enough money to satisfy the needs of displaced persons. (hina) lm jn 281735 MET nov 97