Sarajevo, January 11, 2001 (IKA/KTA) — The archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljić, and the bishop of Banja Luka, Dr. Franjo Komarica, have once again appealed for “a definitive solution to the precarious situation of the tens of thousands of refugee and displaced Croats (Catholics) from Bosnia-Herzegovina and for it to be possible for those who so desire to return safely and live in their ancestral homes.” The appeal was addressed to the highest government officials of the Croatian nation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia: the Croatian member of the Joint Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ante Jelavić; the head of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Martin Raguž; the president of the Republic of Croatia, Stjepan Mesić; the speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia, Zlatko Tomčić; and the prime minister of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, Ivica Račan. Moved by the entreaties of refugee Croatian Catholics, particularly during encounters at Christmas and the New Year, the cardinal and bishop appealed to politicians to “finally act more decisively” with concrete and definitive solutions regarding the status of these people. They emphasized that it has been over six years since the war ended and the politicians assumed the responsibility to correct the injustices suffered by the war victims and facilitate their return. They also pointed out that it is common knowledge that Croats from Bosnia-Herzegovina constitute the smallest number of returnees. Thus, in the past five years, only approximately 2,500 of the 200,000 refugee or displaced Croats from the entity of the Serb Republic have been able to return to their homes. They also note that it is common knowledge that the political representatives of the Serbs and Bosnian Muslims are primarily concerned with the fate of their fellow nationals, and that many displaced and refugee Croats feel truly forgotten and betrayed by the politicians of their ethnic nationality, other ethnic nationalities and representatives of the international community, a fact that is even acknowledged by representatives of the international community.
A round-table discussion on return to the Banja Luka Region and Bosanska Posavina, held on September 6 in Zagreb, aroused new hopes for the solution to this problem, but nothing significant has been undertaken yet. The cardinal and bishop also condemn the extremely incorrect practice of telling refugee and displaced Croatian Catholics that they are free to remain in houses belonging to others, because allegedly “the houses now belong to them.” The cardinal and bishop reminded the government officials that for years each of them in many encounters had promised that they would “decisively work toward the most suitable solution to improve the dire psychological and material situation of these disenfranchised people.” They also reminded the politicians that they had assumed the responsibility in encounters with the representatives of the other two ethnic nationalities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, besides financial and other assistance from the international community, to “designate specific persons, assign tasks, deadlines, places and measures” for a more effective solution to these problems. At the conclusion of the appeal, Cardinal Puljić and Bishop Komarica urged the politicians who will attend the forthcoming international conference to be held in Banja Luka on the return of refugees and displaced persons to the Serb Republic, the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia, as a continuation of the round-table discussion held in Zagreb, to join decisively “with a unified and constructive attitude” in the efforts for the final positive resolution of the status of the many tens of thousands of refugee and displaced Croats, offering their personal assistance. The appeal was delivered to the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the apostolic nunciatures in Sarajevo and Zagreb.