Mr. Tonino Picula, the Croatian Foreign Minister, has received Ms Mary Ann Wyrsch

Mr. Tonino Picula, the Croatian Foreign Minister, has received Ms Mary Ann Wyrsch, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, and the delegation of the UNHCR on 11 April 2004. The topics of the talks included the return of refugees and displaced persons and institutional and legal mechanisms needed to be established with a view to return and integration of refugees into society.

Minister Picula thanked Ms Wyrsch on the assistance of the UNHCR given to the efforts of the Republic of Croatia regarding the return of refugees and displaced persons and emphasised the need of regional approach to this complex and delicate issue. He reminded of the progress the Croatian Government has achieved to date and emphasised the need of building trust and creating better economic circumstances, both in Croatia and in other countries of the region with a view to speeding the process of return.

Ms Wyrsch emphasised that she appreciates the efforts made by the Croatian Government related to the final proposal of the Asylum Act and the importance of its implementation after it is adopted. The delegation of the UNHCR offered to make significant efforts so that the issue of the return of refugees and displaced persons, as well as the issue of asylum, remain on the agenda of the Stability Pact and CARDS.

With her visit to Zagreb, Ms Wyrsch has ended a one-week visit to South-eastern Europe which began in Bosnia and Herzegovina and which included Belgrade, Kosovo and Macedonia, as well as a visit to returnees in Sisak.

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