CORRECTING ITEM "REFUGEE RETURNS, MEDIA FREEDOM ..."

ZAGREB, July 28 (Hina) - Please note that the second sentence in the third paragraph of our OSCE story headlined "Refugee Returns, Media Freedom Most Important for Croatia" should be changed to read as follows: The aspect discussed in Split was the problem of legal remedies for refugees who lived in apartments with tenancy rights, Semneby said, adding that this problem was also the subject of intensive talks in Zagreb. A corrected version follows: SPLIT, July 28 (Hina) - The head of the OSCE mission in Croatia has said that refugee returns an the media freedom are very important issues for Croatia not only because of political relations in the country but also because of its bids to come closer to the European Union. #L# The most important task at the moment is the return of refugees and this requires strong political engagement of authorities at all levels, Peter Semneby said at an informal meeting with reporters in the coastal city of Split on Monday. He said he had discussed this matter with authorities of the city of Split and Split County. The aspect discussed in Split was the problem of legal remedies for refugees who lived in apartments with tenancy rights, Semneby said, adding that this problem was also the subject of intensive talks in Zagreb. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) welcomes the government's initiative from June and its call to everybody to come back, the OSCE official said but expressed concern that the programme would produce poorer results than expected. In Split, Semneby held talks with editorial staff of Slobodna Dalmacija and Feral Tribune on journalists' position in light of plans for the adoption of a new media law and amendments to the Penal Code which treated slander as a criminal offence. The stance of the OSCE is clear, and a month ago the Organisation sent a letter to the Ivica Racan Cabinet asking for the withdrawal of draft Article 203 of the Penal Code, Semneby said adding that the government had not yet responded to the letter. He, however, added that after contacting the ministry of European integration there were indications that the article would be changed. According to him, the OSCE has given a clear message that slander should be defined in the way it was treated in the previous Penal Code, which was a sort of the protection for the media. According to the OSCE's stance, slander can be a case of the civil suit launched by an individual against a reporter, but damages must not endanger the survival of the media or a reporter. Although there are some countries, such as Germany, in which slander is treated as a criminal offence but in which the provision of the relevant law has not been applied for decades, the introduction of such a provision in the Croatian judiciary is a big step backward, the OSCE ambassador said. Regarding the media freedom, the situation in Croatia is worrying, Semneby said pointing to the fact that the enforcement of a law on Croatian Radio Television (HRT), as the most powerful media, had been postponed and to the fact that a new HRT council had not yet been set up. The OSCE is following the process of the sale of the Croatian Television's Third Channel, as this will be an important step towards diversity and different influences on the Croatian media scene. Asked by a reporter whether a journalist, whose right to work is engendered because of political revanchism, can ask the OSCE for help, Semneby answered that the OSCE was open for such cases and that everybod could freely contact it i such cases. (hina) ms sb