COUNTY TRUST ESTABLISHMENT COMMITTEE HOLDS SESSION IN OSIJEK

( Editorial: --> 5917 ) OSIJEK, Dec 4 (Hina) - The Osijek-Baranja county committee for the implementation of the Croatian government's trust establishment programme in the war-affected areas held its second session in Osijek on Thursday under the chairmanship of County Prefect Ankica Horvat. The head of the regional office for the displaced and refugees, Nada Arbanas, said that up to 3 December, 1,661 people had returned to parts of the county under the UN Transitional Administration (UNTAES), while procedures were under way for 1,500 people to get the status of returnees. Arbanas said the acceleration of reconstruction might help about 600 people to return by Christmas to the towns of Bilje, Antunovac and Ernestinovo, where the pilot-project for the return was being implemented and where a relatively small number of people had returned to date. She added that local teachers, doctors and other persons should be enabled to come back as their services are important for facilitating normal life in those towns and villages. In UNTAES-controlled eastern Croatia (Danube river region) there are 29,386 displaced people and refugees, and 46 per cent of them have expressed a wish to leave Croatia, while the remaining 54 per cent have opted for the return to their homes, according to Arbanas. According to international organisations' data, there will be no people interested in returning to other parts of Croatia until the end of this year. A representative of the county authorities, Zorica Lucic, informed the committee that the county budget had earmarked 2,006,000 kuna (approximately US$323,000) and the state budget allocated 3,318,000 kuna (about US$535,000) for the work of local authorities in the Danube area. The county official in charge of education, Ksenija Zbozil, described as satisfactory the situation in the schools of the Danube river region. She denied false information that teachers and other staff in schools did not get salaries and that there was no heating in schools. Zbozil warned that "Serb Radio Bali Manastir" used inflammatory speech, spread lies and vilified some headmasters and teachers. She voiced hope that pupils in the Danube river region would no longer be used for political purposes. (hina) jn mš 041658 MET dec 97