ZAGREB: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ELECTION MONITORING ENDS

ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) - Representatives of organisations for election monitoring adopted in Zagreb on Sunday the "Declaration of Domestic Non-party Monitors from Europe", which emphasises the importance of election monitoring for democratic processes and the setting of election monitoring criteria. #L# The declaration was adopted on the last day of an international conference which started on June 25 in the organisation of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the European network for election and democratic support (NEEDS), with the support of the Croatian association GONG (Organised Election Monitoring by Citizens). According to a statement released by GONG, some thirty representatives of organisations for non-party election monitoring from Central and East Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the United States and international organisations discussed possibilities of improving the work of election monitoring organisations as well as problems they are faced with in their work. The declaration confirms the irreplaceable role of domestic non- party election monitoring as a guarantee of democratic processes, stresses respect for the right to election monitoring, and sets general standards for domestic election monitoring. Participants in the conference drew up and offered for signing the so-called "Zagreb Principles for Joint Approach to Domestic Election Monitoring" which binds election monitoring organisations and groups from the OSCE region to respect the principles of objectivity, transparency and responsibility and promote voluntary work, objective and authentic election reporting and solidarity among election monitoring organisations. (hina) rml