Jutarnji list, 9. ožujka 2002.
Intervju: Peter Semneby, voditelj misije Organizacije za europsku sigurnost i suradnju (OESS) u Hrvatskoj
Još uvijek nije došlo vrijeme za zakljucenje misije u Hrvatskoj Nadam se da rad na Ustavnom Zakonu o pravima manjina nece poceti ispocetka, vec da ce se u obzir uzeti mnoga rješenja iz povucenog nacrta Razgovarala Sanja Despot
Iz bogate karijere švedskog diplomate Petera Semnebyja hrvatski dužnosnici vole naglasiti upravo zadnji dio – Semneby je u Hrvatsku došao u sijecnju nakon uspješno zakljucene misije OESS-a u Latviji. Ta je zemlja do kraja prošle godine imala promatrace, iako je vec dugo službeni kandidat za clanstvo u EU.
• Hocete li i u Hrvatskoj vi zakljuciti misiju?
Sada nije pravo vrijeme za razgovor o zakljucenju misije, s obzirom na to da sam ja još na pocetku, a OESS ovdje ima mnogo zadataka. Kada riješimo preostala pitanja misiju cemo zakljuciti, jer su sve misije OESS-a po svojoj prirodi privremene.
Više lokalnog osoblja
• Tijekom zadnje rasprave o produžetku mandata u Becu hrvatska je vlada od OESS-a tražila da se više koncentrira na konkretne projekte, te da u misiju ukljuci vise domaceg osoblja?
Kada se govori o konkretnim projektima, mora se imati na umu da oni traže financiranje. Moc OESS-a ocituje se na mnogim podrucjima, ali financijska strana ne spada u njih. Naša je snaga u vrlo opsežnom politickom mandatu, te poznavanju stanja u zemlji. Što se tice sastava naše misije, mi prolazimo kroz prijelazno razdoblje, promjene prouzrocene smanjenjem budžeta. Cijela organizacija upravo prolazi rezove. Iako nece biti dramaticnih promjena u strukturi, tijekom godine smanjit cemo brojnost, te ukljuciti više lokalnog osoblja.
• Koji su glavni još neriješeni problemi?
Pitanje povratka izbjeglica i dalje je najveci razlog naše zabrinutosti. Na nacionalnoj razini postoje dobre namjere, ali problemi su na lokalnoj razini, u opcinama gdje su još svježa sjecanja iz rata. Važno je uspostaviti mehanizme za obnovu, povratak imovine, kao i pronaci rješenje za teški problem stanarskih prava. Vlada neke stvari jest napravila, akcijski plan za povrat imovine do kraja ove godine pokazuje da je to pitanje visoko na
1 njezinoj agendi. Ali postojece zakonske odredbe su komplicirane, a sudovi nisu uvijek dostupni ljudima koji im se žele obratiti radi povrata imovine. Oko stanarskih prava nije bilo vecih pomaka. Nadam se da cemo moci nastaviti dijalog s Vladom kako bismo osigurali da oni koji su protjerani iz stanova dobiju adekvatnu odštetu, bez obzira na to je li rijec o podrucjima od posebne državne skrbi ili o drugim dijelovima zemlje. Posebno ako se te osobe namjeravaju vratiti u Hrvatsku.
• Stajalište OESS-a po pitanju povrata stanarskih prava, odnosno nužnosti placanja odštete bivšim korisnicima tog instituta nije se, dakle, nimalo promijenilo?
Ne.
Konsenzusom do zakona
• Baratate li još uvijek i istim brojem od 50 tisuca obitelji kojima bi to pravo trebalo biti priznato, kao što je to u zadnjem izvješcu konstatirao Bernard Poncet?
Ne želim ulaziti u debatu o brojevima. Trebamo iznaci rješenje bez obzira na brojeve.
• Visoki povjerenik za pitanje manjina Rolf Ekeus razgovarao je s hrvatskim dužnosnicima o problemima oko donošenja Ustavnog zakona o pravima nacionalnih manjina.
Vladi je ponudio suradnju kako bi se što skorije formulirao taj zakon. Za žaljenje je to što je donošenje zakona vec nekoliko puta odgadano, te što je zadnji nacrt, koji je ukljucio i prijedlog Venecijanske komisije, povucen prije nego što je stigao u Sabor. Rad sada ne bi trebao poceti ispocetka, vec bi trebao uzeti u obzir mnoga rješenja iz vec povucenog prijedloga. Nadam se da ce se ukljucivanjem svih zainteresiranih strana od samog pocetka moci postici konsenzus o tom zakonu koji je fundamentalno važan i predstavlja obvezu koju je Hrvatska preuzela kako bi ušla u Vijece Europe.
Ne brinem se zbog rasprava u koaliciji
• Dijeli li medunarodna zajednica zabrinutost zbog dosad najvece krize koalicijske Vlade u Hrvatskoj? Je li ona opasna za stabilnost u regiji?
- Ne bih donosio dalekosežne zakljucke iz diskusija koje se vode u Vladi. One su prirodne u koalicijskim vladama. Mislim da Hrvatska ima funkcionirajuci demokratski politicki sistem i ne brinem se o rezultatima tih rasprava.
2 Spoznaje važne za EU
• Koji su vam glavni zadaci?
- U razdoblju pred nama intenzivirati cemo dijalog s Vladom jer su pitanja kojima se mi bavimo dodatno dobila na znacenju potpisivanjem Sporazuma o stabilizaciji i pridruživanju s EU. Glavnina pitanja iz našeg mandata spominju se kao prioriteti i u sklopu dijaloga s EU. Nase spoznaje bit ce važne ne samo Vladi, vec i Uniji.
3
Jutarnji list, 9 March 2002
Interview: Peter Semneby, Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Croatia
The Time Has Still Not Come to End the Mission to Croatia I hope that the work on the Constitutional Law on the Rights of Minorities will not start from the beginning, but that many solutions from the withdrawn draft will be taken into consideration By Sanja Despot
From the rich career of the Swedish diplomat Peter Semneby, the Croatian officials like to emphasize precisely the last part – Semneby came to Croatia in January, after the successful closing of the OSCE Mission to Latvia. Until the end of the last year, that country had monitors, although it has been an official candidate for the membership in the EU for a long time already.
• Will you also put an end to the Mission to Croatia?
It is not the right time now to discuss the end of the Mission taking into account that I am still at the beginning and the OSCE has numerous tasks here. When the remaining issues are resolved, we will end the Mission, because all OSCE Missions are temporary by their nature.
More local staff
• In the course of the last discussion on the extension of the mandate in Vienna, the Croatian Government requested from the OSCE to concentrate more on specific projects and include more local staff in the Mission?
With regard to specific projects, one has to keep in mind that they require financing. The power of the OSCE reflects itself in numerous areas, but the financial side does not belong to them. Our strength lies within a very comprehensive political mandate and our knowledge of the situation in the country. As far as the composition of our Mission is concerned, we are going through a transitional period, the changes caused by the reduction of the budget. The entire organization is currently undergoing cuts. Although there will be no dramatic changes in the structure, we will downsize in the course of the year, and include more local staff.
• What are the main still unresolved problems?
1 The issue of the return of refugees is still the greatest reason for our concern. There are good intentions at the national level, but problems exist at the local level, in municipalities where memories from the war are still fresh. It is important to establish reconstruction mechanisms, repossession of property, as well as to find a solution for the serious problem of occupancy/tenancy rights. The Government has done certain things, the action plan on the repossession of property until the end of this year shows that this issue is high on its agenda. But, the existing legal provisions are complicated and the courts are not always accessible to people who wish to address them with regard to property repossession. As to occupancy/tenancy rights, there has been no significant progress. I hope that we will be able to continue the dialogue with the Government in order to be able to ensure that those who were evicted from the apartments receive adequate compensation, regardless of whether we talk about the areas of special state concern or other parts of the country. Especially if those persons intend to return to Croatia.
• Therefore, the OSCE standpoint on the issue of return of occupancy/tenancy rights, i.e. the necessity of providing compensation to former users of that institution, has not changed at all?
No.
Through consensus to the Law
• Are you still dealing with the same number of 50,000 families to be recognized that right, as it was stated by Bernard Poncet in the last report?
I do not want to enter into a debate about numbers. We need to find a solution regardless of the numbers.
• High Commissioner for the issue of minorities, Rolf Ekeus, spoke with Croatian officials about the problems related to the adoption of the Constitutional Law on the Rights of National Minorities.
He offered co-operation to the Government, so that the Law would be drafted as soon as possible. It is regrettable that the adoption of the Law has been postponed several times already, and that the latest draft, which included also the recommendations of the Venice Commission, was withdrawn before it reached the Parliament. The work now should not start from the beginning, but it should take into consideration many solutions from the already withdrawn proposal. I hope that, through the involvement of all interested parties from the very beginning, it will be possible to reach a consensus on that Law, which is of fundamental importance and which represents a commitment Croatia undertook in order to enter the Council of Europe.
2 I am not worried about discussions in the coalition
• Does the international community share concern about the biggest crisis of the coalition Government in Croatia so far? Is it dangerous for the stability in the region?
- I would not make far-reaching conclusions from the discussions taking place in the Government. They are natural in coalition governments. I think that Croatia has a functioning democratic political system and I do not worry about the results of those discussions.
Information of importance for the EU
• What are your main tasks?
- In the forthcoming period, we will intensify a dialogue with the Government, since the issues that we are dealing with gained additional significance after the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU has been signed. The majority of issues from our mandate are mentioned as priorities also within the dialogue with the EU. Our information will be significant not only for the Government, but also for the Union.
3