The LI Executive Committee, meeting in Opatija ( Croatia) on 4 and 5 November 1995
Cognisant of the tremendous burden on the Republic of Croatia posed by the presence of more than 400,00 refugees and displaced persons;
Appreciative of the efforts undertaken by the Croatian Government over the past four years to provide humanitarian assistance to civilian victims of the conflicts in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Concerned by reports of violations of human rights which have taken place in the so-called Krajina region since it was recaptured by the Croatian army in August 1995;
Concerned by the recent adoption by the Croatian Government of the “Law on the Temporary Disposal of Abandoned Property” and of the “Law on Renting Apartments in the Liberated Regions”, which may restrict the possibility for refugees to return to Croatia;
Concerned by reports of decisions taken by the Government of Croatia to revoke the status of refugees originating from certain parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as by reports of refugees being forced by the Croatian authorities to return to towns in western Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Calls upon the Government of Croatia:
To ensure full respect for the rights of minorities living in the Republic of Croatia, including persons of Serbian origin, and to ensure that the physical well being of the remaining Serb populations, especially in the Krajina region, is guaranteed and their property rights respected;
To respect the right of Serb refugees to return to the Republic of Croatia in safety, to establish procedures for the return of those who fled from the Krajina region, to crate conditions conducive to such return, and to co-operate with international humanitarian organisation in this regard;
To continue to grant entry and passage to refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina seeking safety in Croatia or in other European countries or elsewhere, and in particular to persons expelled from Serb-controlled towns in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina.
To refrain from any forcible returns of refugees to Bosnia and Herzegovina in violation of the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees, of which Croatia is a signatory, including to those parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina under the control of the Bosnian Federation, as these areas are neither sufficiently safe nor ready to receive refugees at this time.
