Minister of the interior visits newly-built refugee camp at Opatovac

Croatian Minister of the Interior Ranko Ostojic on Sunday visited a camp built by the army along a state road near Opatovac, a village in the eastern Croatian municipality of Lovas, which is to be used for the accommodation of migrants arriving in Croatia.

Addressing reporters, Ostojic repeated that Croatia would not be an EU collection centre for refugees and that all those who were objecting that Croatia was not complying with international regulations should ask themselves how they were contributing. "All those who are criticising us for enabling migrants' transit and not respecting rules... should ask themselves what they have done (to help in the current crisis)," Ostojic told reporters.

He noted that at least half a million migrants had passed through Hungary and that some of them had been registered and some had not, so Hungary should not lecture Croatia on how to treat migrants. Ostojic said that a hysteria-mongering task force had been active in Croatia recently, headed by the leader of the opposition HDZ party, Tomislav Karamarko. "He has been on a field tour, probably thinking that he can continue making accusations. He should talk to his friends Orban, Vulin... to Milosevic's pioneers with whom they are fomenting hysteria. They are of the same kind. The kind that would try to solve the situation with force, wire and weapons," said Ostojic.

"The critical point in Croatia is Tovarnik. If anyone knows of any other, they should let me know," Ostojic said, adding that around 25,000 migrants had entered Croatia since Wednesday and that most of them had already left the country. He confirmed that Hungary had still not returned to Croatia a Croatian Railway train used to transport migrants to that country and that Croatia had not accepted UNHCR's assistance in building the camp at Opatovac because it had the necessary equipment to do it. Commenting on Hungary's reopening its border with Serbia, Ostojic said that it was probably a result of Serbia's pressure on Hungary after Croatia closed the border crossings (except Bajakovo) on its border with Serbia. The camp at Opatovac will enable the temporary accommodation of some 4,000 migrants who will stay in it for 48 hours at the most until their transfer to Hungary is arranged.

The minister said that migrants would be provided with medical care and ready-to-eat food at the camp. As of Sunday, all migrants entering Croatia at the easternmost town of Tovarnik will be transported to Opatovac. The first migrants should arrive at Opatovac after 5 pm, said Ostojic, adding that migrants staying in Tovarnik had been told that they would be taken to Opatovac. (Hina) rml

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