ZAGREB ZAGREB, March 20 (Hina) - A two-day regional conference on the availability of information in south-east Europe began in Zagreb on Thursday evening, under the auspices of the OSCE mission in Croatia.
ZAGREB, March 20 (Hina) - A two-day regional conference on the
availability of information in south-east Europe began in Zagreb on
Thursday evening, under the auspices of the OSCE mission in
Croatia. #L#
The aim of the two-day event is to stimulate Croatian authorities to
adopt a law on the availability of official information, given that
Croatia is one of few countries without such an act.
Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said the right to information was
one of the fundamental human rights and a part of the heritage of
democracy.
Only those who would like to thwart democratic processes, limit
possibilities of the availability of information, President Mesic
said expressing hope that such times were over.
The Croatian head of state also pointed to the necessity of
enhancing the responsibility for "public word".
The head of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe) mission in Croatia, Peter Semneby, said the
confidentiality of information made it possible for a small number
of people to concentrate power in their hands, which could lead to
an autocratic or totalitarian regime.
Semneby stressed that democracy without transparent and available
information was not possible, and voiced hope that with the passage
of the relevant law Croatia would set an example to other countries
in the region.
(hina) ms