Southeast European Times
Date: 16 Aug 2005
PrintE-mailSave
Refugee information hotline launched in Belgrade
Croatia and Serbia-Montenegro recently co-operated in launching a new telephone service meant to assist Serb refugees from Croatia.
By Davor Konjikusic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade
A special telephone information service has gone into operation in Belgrade, meant to assist Serbs from Croatia who are currently living in Serbia as refugees. It was inaugurated jointly by Serbia-Montenegro Human Rights Minister Rasim Ljajic and Tonci Stanic, Croatia's ambassador to Belgrade.
Refugee returns is one of the key unresolved issues affecting ties between Croatia and Serbia-Montenegro. The two countries have signed an agreement on the protection of refugees, but a host of problems hamper the returns process.
The new service will help address these. It will provide refugees with essential information on gaining access to their property, obtaining social insurance and pensions, finding employment, making sure adequate measures are in place to protect them, and other issues.
Calling 011 367 52 72 will put Serb refugees in touch with a person who has links to authorised institutions in Croatia that can assist in resolving specific refugee problems. That person is responsible for returning calls within a short period of time, providing concrete information regarding the incoming inquiry.
So far, representatives of Serb refugees have mostly welcomed the new service. However, Stavo Strbac from the Veritas Documentation Centre believes it falls short in one key area. "I thought that the telephone service was opened to provide information on persons who may have been indicted for war crimes, because that has been a barrier to Serb returns to Croatia. Now that I heard the phone service will not deal with this critical issue, I am somewhat disappointed," Strbac says.
Responding to this criticism, the Croatian ambassador said such information will indeed be made available, but not over the phone. Croatia has handed a list of 1,400 names to Serbia's justice and defence ministries, Stanic said, adding that refugees can contact these institutions for more information.
It is not clear how many Serb refugees have returned to Croatia since 1995. The Croatian government puts the number at 117,000, while Serb associations in Croatia say it is closer to 70,000.