Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ZAGREB132
2005-01-28 09:00:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Zagreb
Cable title:
A CONFIDENT CRAWL TOWARDS CLOSING THE REFUGEE FILE
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS ZAGREB 000132
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM HR
SUBJECT: A CONFIDENT CRAWL TOWARDS CLOSING THE REFUGEE FILE
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
-------------------
UNCLAS ZAGREB 000132
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM HR
SUBJECT: A CONFIDENT CRAWL TOWARDS CLOSING THE REFUGEE FILE
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
--------------
1. (SBU) Meeting with Ambassador Frank and the Heads of
Mission of the OSCE and UNHCR Missions and European
Commission Delegation to Croatia for the first time in 2005,
Croatia's National Refugee Coordinator (Minister of Maritime
Affairs, Tourism, Transportation, and Development and
National Refugee Coordinator Bozidar Kalmeta) affirmed
Croatia's eagerness to close the refugee return file by 2006
and voiced clear willingness to move forward with the
lingering issues of housing allocation to former holders of
occupancy and tenancy rights (OTR) and re-electrification of
returnee villages. Housing for tenancy rights holders still
tops the agenda, though the implementation is increasingly
technical and less and less political. Though a strong
desire to move beyond war legacy issues often leads Croatia
to set overly ambitious targets for reconstruction, housing
assistance, and property repossession, high-level monthly
meetings between the four COMs and the GoC are clearly having
a positive effect nudging the GoC towards realistic
benchmarks. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT
HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR OTR HOLDERS STILL ON TOP
-------------- --
2. (SBU) Providing housing to former occupancy and tenancy
rights (OTR) holders in predominantly urban areas continues
to top the refugee agenda. In December, the GoC agreed to a
proposal from the COMs to extend the application deadline
through June 30, 2005, pending the start of a GoC-led public
information campaign about housing assistance. The GoC has
thus far received approximately 1600 applications for
assistance. Processing applications, investigating property
claims through former state enterprises, and making a
decision continues to challenge the public administration.
While the GoC does not currently notify applicants in the
case of rejected applications, Minister Kalmeta promised the
GoC would begin sending out notification letters once an
application had been adjudicated and pledged to establish an
appeal process for unsuccessful applicants. Though an
estimated 18,000 OTR holders and their families may be
eligible for housing care, the program has been slow to get
underway owing largely to a lack of awareness of assistance
available.
3. (SBU) The GoC already has some housing units available
for successful OTR applicants. The four COMs told Kalmeta
that allocating housing as soon as applications were decided
would demonstrate clear GoC seriousness to move forward on
return issues and encourage other potential beneficiaries to
apply by showing the benefits of doing so. Kalmeta agreed to
start allocations before the June 30 deadline but noted that
housing should be carefully prioritized to where it is most
urgently needed.
RE-ELECTRIFICATION
--------------
4. (U) Kalmeta was clear that the issue of reconnecting
electricity to a large number of mostly ethnic Serb villages
in war-affected areas is simply one of money. A recently
signed 52 million kuna ($9.06 million) agreement between the
GoC and the national electricity company HEP to finance
re-electrification is a positive development. Though the Serb
Democratic Forum has criticized HEP recently for not doing
enough to accelerate reconnection, Kalmeta has little
influence over the fiercely-independent electricity company.
Post is aware of significant discrepancies in the allocation
of rural electrification projects, with Croat villages fully
electrified while many predominantly Serb villages remain
without power.
HIGH-LEVEL MEETINGS BOLSTER EFFICIENCY AND CONFIDENCE
-------------- --------------
5. (SBU) After six months of regular high-level meetings,
Minister Kalmeta is increasingly well-briefed on the
technical details of return implementation and confident of
his PM's support to move forward. Kalmeta's professionalism
and confidence extend to the working level as well, where the
GoC with increasing efficiency exchanges information with
Post on return progress.
FRANK
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM HR
SUBJECT: A CONFIDENT CRAWL TOWARDS CLOSING THE REFUGEE FILE
SUMMARY AND COMMENT
--------------
1. (SBU) Meeting with Ambassador Frank and the Heads of
Mission of the OSCE and UNHCR Missions and European
Commission Delegation to Croatia for the first time in 2005,
Croatia's National Refugee Coordinator (Minister of Maritime
Affairs, Tourism, Transportation, and Development and
National Refugee Coordinator Bozidar Kalmeta) affirmed
Croatia's eagerness to close the refugee return file by 2006
and voiced clear willingness to move forward with the
lingering issues of housing allocation to former holders of
occupancy and tenancy rights (OTR) and re-electrification of
returnee villages. Housing for tenancy rights holders still
tops the agenda, though the implementation is increasingly
technical and less and less political. Though a strong
desire to move beyond war legacy issues often leads Croatia
to set overly ambitious targets for reconstruction, housing
assistance, and property repossession, high-level monthly
meetings between the four COMs and the GoC are clearly having
a positive effect nudging the GoC towards realistic
benchmarks. END SUMMARY AND COMMENT
HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR OTR HOLDERS STILL ON TOP
-------------- --
2. (SBU) Providing housing to former occupancy and tenancy
rights (OTR) holders in predominantly urban areas continues
to top the refugee agenda. In December, the GoC agreed to a
proposal from the COMs to extend the application deadline
through June 30, 2005, pending the start of a GoC-led public
information campaign about housing assistance. The GoC has
thus far received approximately 1600 applications for
assistance. Processing applications, investigating property
claims through former state enterprises, and making a
decision continues to challenge the public administration.
While the GoC does not currently notify applicants in the
case of rejected applications, Minister Kalmeta promised the
GoC would begin sending out notification letters once an
application had been adjudicated and pledged to establish an
appeal process for unsuccessful applicants. Though an
estimated 18,000 OTR holders and their families may be
eligible for housing care, the program has been slow to get
underway owing largely to a lack of awareness of assistance
available.
3. (SBU) The GoC already has some housing units available
for successful OTR applicants. The four COMs told Kalmeta
that allocating housing as soon as applications were decided
would demonstrate clear GoC seriousness to move forward on
return issues and encourage other potential beneficiaries to
apply by showing the benefits of doing so. Kalmeta agreed to
start allocations before the June 30 deadline but noted that
housing should be carefully prioritized to where it is most
urgently needed.
RE-ELECTRIFICATION
--------------
4. (U) Kalmeta was clear that the issue of reconnecting
electricity to a large number of mostly ethnic Serb villages
in war-affected areas is simply one of money. A recently
signed 52 million kuna ($9.06 million) agreement between the
GoC and the national electricity company HEP to finance
re-electrification is a positive development. Though the Serb
Democratic Forum has criticized HEP recently for not doing
enough to accelerate reconnection, Kalmeta has little
influence over the fiercely-independent electricity company.
Post is aware of significant discrepancies in the allocation
of rural electrification projects, with Croat villages fully
electrified while many predominantly Serb villages remain
without power.
HIGH-LEVEL MEETINGS BOLSTER EFFICIENCY AND CONFIDENCE
-------------- --------------
5. (SBU) After six months of regular high-level meetings,
Minister Kalmeta is increasingly well-briefed on the
technical details of return implementation and confident of
his PM's support to move forward. Kalmeta's professionalism
and confidence extend to the working level as well, where the
GoC with increasing efficiency exchanges information with
Post on return progress.
FRANK