A STEP BACK TO RETURN

The (Im)Possibility of Repatriating the Serbian Refugees

At the moment the refugees in Serbia are waiting for a census initiated by the UNHCR, which will work together with the Serbian Commission for Refugees. On that occasion they will have to state whether they want to go back or stay, keeping their right to change their minds in case they are dissatisfied. Commissioner for Refugees of Serbia, Buba Morina said that this census was also important because of the "elections and the authorities that, as a result of these elections, will rule the common federation of the two entities. Such a move is primarily in the interest of the refugees themselves".

AIM, Belgrade, April 19, 1996

After living four years as a refugee in Belgrade, Seka Muratovic took advantage of the first opportunity she had and went to Sarajevo in order to mark her mother's grave and see for herself whether the return was possible.

• I personally had no problems, but primarily because I stayed with my Moslem friends, and also because of my surname. But, women I was there with went through horrors. One was beaten up and told that she could claim her rights in the Hague. The other who phoned her home and only asked for family photos was told that nobody was that crazy so as to keep the Chetnik icons and that all photos have been burned long ago, as well as that she was lucky that she did not come to the door herself as her goose would have been cooked. I was warned that in case anyone asked me for ID in the street to immediately demand to be taken to the police station or give them DM 30 on the spot. The city has changed. Even the display and assortment of vegetables in the market place has changed. Old Moslems say that there could be no life without the return of the Serbs and departure of all those who came from nowhere. The old men told me that those newcomers expelled people from the surrounding communes. They kept telling them that they would have gotten what was coming to them if it was not for those foreigners. But, if asked about somebody's flat, they reply "Should we let the Serbs return and throw our fighters into the streets" says Seka.

She said she would have returned together with her parents, had not the last of Serbs fled. Now her only wish was to sell her property in Sarajevo and remain in Serbia.

Games with Repatriation

The repatriation of refugees officially started with the first organized departure of 54 refugees from Hungary to Zenica. The UNHCR Spokesman Ron Redman stated that 30 thousand people have returned to B&H to places which were not disputable. However, several days ago Margaret O'Keeffe, Head of the UNHCR Office brought troubling news: "Ethnical cleansing represents a major part of this war, and the situation on the ground is such that it will be very hard to change what has been done in the course of these four years. Refugees have the right to go where they want, but the real life disputes this clause of the Dayton Agreement".

Ever since she assumed the post of the Commissioner for Refugees two years ago, Buba Morina incessantly talked of return. She always claimed that it represented a "common policy of all the three governments of the Serbian lands". One of them is no more and as a consequence additional 200 thousand people flowed into Serbia whom Morina denied any refugee status. The highest number of officially reported refugees in the FRY till now reached the figure of 700 thousand. Now everyone, and refugees most of all, would like to know what is the concept of the Serbian Commission regarding the return or permanent accommodation of these people.

The campaign for their return indirectly started in early February in the office of the Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic. He received a delegation of the Association of Refugees "Solidarity" (Solidarnost) which conveyed the wishes of 400 families from a refugee camp Ivanjica to return to their homes in Serbian Sarajevo. At no moment there was any doubt that they actually came from Sibenik, Glamoc, Bihac, Gorazde. On that occasion the Prime Minister "expressed his understanding for the primeval desire of the people to return to their places of birth", and stated that "the overall policy of both Serbian and Yugoslav leadership gives sufficient guarantees that all the measures will be undertaken so as to ensure the necessary preconditions for safe life." They all shook hands, exchanged best wishes and returned to their duties.

Although no one has heard of the association "Solidarity" before this meeting or at least it was not known to the public, it was nevertheless on that occasion presented as the representative of refugees in the FRY. It soon came out that Lazar Vukota, announced at that time as President of the Association although Milorad Deretic held that function, was a high official of the SK-PJ (League of Communists - Movement for Yugoslavia) (in charge of ideology), and was incidentally a former army officer who frequently falsely introduced himself as a general. Few weeks later, the committee of Borislav Mikelic was promoted from the highest level as being in charge of the return of people to Croatia, although at various gatherings he mostly spoke of the "enormous task facing the committee as regards bare survival of over 650 thousand people".

Accordingly, Mr.Mikelic, with his well known reputation, was supposed to practically take over the Commission tasks. Consequently, the refugees only had to choose whom to turn to for help. However, the Commission as the highest official and most experienced body in this field was entrusted with the organization of the first attempted return of refugees. Thus began the operation of "Return to Sarajevo" and the formation of convoys which Commissioner Morina was to lead personally. From the people who naively volunteered for the operation at that time we found out that actually no return was promised to them, as it was presented to the public, but only registration of property and information on living conditions there. What was there in Sarajevo that the Serbian Commission wanted to inform the inhabitants of Sibenik about?

The most persistent ones and those with best connections were unofficially told that the basic idea was to settle the Serbs as quickly as possible in the communes abandoned by the Serbian population so as to maintain the existing national balance. But, the UNHCR harshly protested. Roads around Sarajevo were blocked by trucks and cars, houses were burning, and on top of everything the blizzard started. The Commission announced that the journey was being postponed for a week. The whole operation, together with the mass exodus from Sarajevo, made many doubt that they would ever return.

This is evident from the answers of all the refugees asked of their plans to return. There is hope that such organized return is not part of the Commission's general concept, because the UNHCR, which is seriously involved in this problem, is breathing down their necks.

Nobody Asked Them, They Came Uninvited

International Conference dedicated to the return of refugees held in Oslo on March 8, offered a great opportunity for presenting a plan of any kind. It was stated that the return was a voluntary and phased process, as well as that the international community had determined the deadlines, but lacked political authority for their implementation. Morina said that she was not satisfied with the phased return but that additional provisions should be made for the individual return of refugees. In conclusion she asked for humanitarian assistance and participation of the international community in the development plans. Soon after her return from Oslo she gave a statement to Radio Politika clarifying all ambiguities and doubts: "We never asked the refugees to come. They came because of their problems, hardships and tragedies. Those who claim that we aim at changing ethnical structure, as the Hungarians or others involved do, are on good terms with Croatia. The Hungarian Government for example, should force Croatia to allow the return of those exiled from their homes and who are presently living in Vojvodina, and the problem would be solved".

It cannot be denied that the Commission had some "successful" actions. Let us remind you of the revision of the refugee status, forced mobilization, organized voluntary resettlement in Kosovo, as well as the proposal for refugees to be sent to work drives (which for unknown reasons was never realized). It is true that during their stay in the FRY the refugees were fed, but we all know how. It is true that they had roof over their heads, but did not the Commission itself publish the fact that 73.3 percent of them were housed with families, and 21.5 percent lived as subtenants. All that time Buba Morina left the impression that she was sweeping a city dump with a broom. Not to mention the frequently observed lack of coordination with the Government.

It is interesting that precisely for the year in which the Commission announced a massive return of the refugees, it was earmarked 358 million dinars from the Republican budget in contrast to the previous one when this figure amounted to mere 12,6 million dinars. These funds were approved on the basis of the programme for the accommodation of refugees over the winter period, which was implemented only partially: the construction of several collective centers of dubious quality and for suspiciously large sums of money started. And for this year alone the Commission has a stack of unpaid bills.

To put it simply, the situation regarding accommodation of refugees is as follows: for collective accommodation the UNHCR paid 20 percent, the remainder was never paid; the Krajina people have become a burden of the communes, while the others live from smuggling or illegal work in private firms. The refugees are now facing a census, initiated by the UNHCR, which will work in coordination with the Commission. On that occasion they will have to state whether they want to go back or stay, retaining their right to change their minds in case they are dissatisfied. Morina said that this census was also important because of the "elections and the resulting authorities in the joint federation of the two entities. Such move is primarily in the interest of the refugees themselves".

When arranging the census Morina demanded that as many people as possible be covered by it which resulted in fourteen categories of refugees which will be registered. This means that the list of those whose backs she wants to see at any cost is rather long. Now the question is what will happen to those who got flats which were especially built for refugees, which the Commissioner Morina advertised at that time at the top of her voice, forgetting to mention the final clause in these contracts - that the flats were given for the period of only two years.

In Srpski Krstur, the first such specific refugee settlement, lives S.R. from Konjic with his three children. As regards the return he says: "There can be no life there after all the maltreatment and humiliation I had to endure from my first neighbours who were my friends. They used to come to my house when we had celebrations. I was never a criminal. However, after a tragedy a man becomes a beast. I found my closest ones all massacred in the house...That is why I do not want to live with them any more".

Nobody is able to say anything about the return of people with such destinies. And Bratislava Morina does not even think about it.

(AIM) JELENA GRUJIC

Entrefilet

UNHCR

In the Office of High Commissioner for Refugees Tina Andersen is in charge of organizing their return. She says that the UNHCR now supports visits and movement of refugees and that assistance is provided to those who ask for it. "Some families have found accommodation on their own and returned to their places. To all those who organized themselves we say that we have nothing against it, but that they are taking their destinies into their own hands. Now UNHCR is in the process of preparing a data bank which will include all information from each commune regarding infrastructure, houses, living conditions, etc. and which will be available to all interested persons". The greatest problem is finding accommodation, says Tina Andersen: "We are not charged with a task of property restitution. And that is a priority task. We received 30 million USD for accommodation capacities, but this sum can only be invested into the reconstruction of houses. For window panes only we have already given five million in Sarajevo, and the requirements have long ago exceeded the available sum". She mentioned that the departure of Serbs from Sarajevo, out of which 2,000 went to the FRY and the rest to Eastern Slavonia, represents a "step back regarding the return". To numerous accusations addressed to UNHCR that it helped the "exodus of Serbs", Tina Andersen replies that that is impossible: "We encouraged people to stay. That was an action of the RS leadership and no one can prevent people from leaving if that is what they want. IFOR was also criticized for providing trucks so that people could get their belongings out, but that was done with the best intentions". As concerns the attempt of the Belgrade Commission for Refugees to take people to Sarajevo, she said that UNHCR can not support the moving of 400 people into the chaos: "That is not the way we work". Tina Andersen explained that regarding the return the priority is the safety of the people, and that such return has to be voluntary: "We prefer when people come on their own and tell us that they want to go back. Now we are faced with technical problems - how to organize their journey there and enable them to return if they have problems. The hardest thing is to find a lasting solution and guarantee their safety".

UNHCR will extend assistance only after people come to their towns. Before that it is up to them to decide. The problem is that a majority of them who want to return always say that they will go back only after the conditions for their return have been ensured. That is the only thing that instills confidence.