JUSTICE MINISTER RECEIVES OSCE REFUGEES COMMISSIONER, CHIEF OF MISSION TO CROATIA

ZAGREB, Feb 17 (Hina) - Justice Minister Vesna Skare-Ozbolt on Tuesday held talks with the OSCE high commissioner for ethnic minorities, Rolf Ekeus, and the chief of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Peter Semneby, on the exercising of ethnic minorities' rights and the judicial reform, the ministry said in a press release.#L# Skare-Ozbolt said during the talks the judicial reform was a government priority in the meeting of political and economic criteria required for admission to the European Union. The reform includes upgrading the courts' efficiency and the rule of law, she added. The minister described the relationship between the government and ethnic minorities as the best ever, as evidenced by the agreement signed with representatives of the Serb minority which ensures their active participation in the implementation of the minority policy. As regards property restitution, Skare-Ozbolt said the right to private ownership was guaranteed by the Constitution and that the government would be consistent in honouring it. The return of the displaced is no longer a political but an economic issue, she said, pointing also to the problems encountered by displaced Croats from Bosnia. The minister informed the two Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe officials about the by-elections held last weekend for ethnic minorities' councils, and said the government would support the councils' work financially and politically. The OSCE representatives asked about Croatia's cooperation with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, saying it was important for the credibility of government performance. The justice minister said preparations were under way to train Croatian judges for war crimes trials with a view to upgrading domestic courts for such trials. She reiterated her ministry was open to cooperation and direct communication with judicial bodies in neighbouring countries in connection with war crimes issues. (Hina) ha sb