A Waning Welcome

BONN, Germany: A 29-year-old Bosnian man convicted of a sex crime and grand larceny became the first civil war refugee to be deported by a German state. Bavaria sent the man back to Sarajevo on Wednesday. The government would like to persuade the better part of the 320,000 Bosnian refugees in Germany to return home by the middle of next year. Rhea Schoenthal of TIME's Bonn bureau says German officials are aware of the lack of suitable housing, the 70 to 90 percent unemployment, the resentment of Bosnians who stayed in-country, and the cold winter coming. "Everybody knows it is so horrible down there, so there's a lot of sympathy. This has been quite a gesture on the part of Germans." Hosting the refugees, who are universally on social welfare, has cost the states about $10 billion since the first refugees arrived four years ago. To balance these concerns, Germany is beginning a gentle push to spur repatriation. "I think Germany wants to send the point psychologically: 'You have to leave sometime.' But the states do not want to send them back by force," says Schoenthal. Some states have sponsored "orientation trips" to allow refugees a chance to scout conditions at home without losing their refugee status as a way of easing the transition. To date, there have been no public demonstrations against the refugees, but German officials are wary that public opinion may begin to turn. -->