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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Issue of return of Serbian refugees must be resolved

Belgrade, 21 July 2008

Serbian Minister for Diaspora Srdjan Sreckovic has met with president of the Serbian Democratic Forum in Zagreb Veljko Dzakula to discuss many important issues relating to the position of Serbs in Croatia, their return and reintegration.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry for Diaspora, at a meeting held on July 18, Dzakula informed that Croatia has issued an arrest warrant for 1200 Serbs accused of war crimes.

He said that Serbs who live outside Croatia are often not even aware of the fact that a warrant has been issued for their arrest or of the list of people against whom charges have been brought since trials are held in absentia.

According to Dzakula, warrants issued for the arrest of often falsely accused people, are one of the main obstacles in the process of return of Serbian refugees, and the Serbian Democratic Forum is asking Serbia’s help in harmonising judiciary standards and practice in processing war crimes, and for all appeals to be handled according to the law.

He said that economic and social problems are prevalent in areas where refugees are returning and the Serbian community in Croatia lives in economically backward areas of the country.

He recommended that the Ministry for Diaspora, together with the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management should arrange some form of education for returnees and Serbian farmers in Croatia.

Education would prepare them for obtaining agricultural loans and subsidies offered by Croatia.

Serbs in Croatia have huge problems in realising their minority rights, they are a marginalised group and are excluded from many spheres of public and social life; furthermore questions related to their status are remain unresolved.

Most of the rights which the Serbian community in Croatia managed to get were realised because Croatia had to meet certain conditions in the EU integration process.

The Serbian Democratic Forum is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit organisation, which in cooperation with domestic and international institutions, works to protect human rights and on reintegration of returnees and strengthening of the local community, concludes the statement.