PARLIAMENTARY NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE RESUMES SESSION

BRIJUNI, Sept 2 (Hina) - Croatia is no longer an object of security issues, but rather a stability subject, aware of its international responsibilities and obligations, Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said at Tuesday's session of the parliament's Committee on Internal Affairs and National Security on the northern Croatian island of Brijuni. #L# Picula spoke at the session about national security in the process of Croatia's joining the EU and NATO. According to him, the doors of Euro-Atlantic associations were open to Croatia, but it was "up to us to seize the opportunity using our own powers". Speaking about the current situation in the region, Picula emphasised the international community's active involvement. "NATO's decisive role in stopping the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina and settling crises in Kosovo and Macedonia was crucial. As a result, we stand witness to the process of decreasing the number of international troops in those areas and to the EU's increased role, which is producing positive effects," Picula stressed. Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic said that at the end of last and beginning of this year the government and parliament had initiated a reform of the judiciary, which should be a guarantee that Croatia had a judiciary which it deserved ahead of entering Euro-Atlantic associations. He said the State Prosecutor's Office had last year lessened the number of backlog cases by 50 percent, and courts by 15 percent. Bajic voiced confidence that all backlog cases would be settled by the end of 2007. The establishment of the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) has contributed to the successful struggle against corruption and organised crime, he added. (hina) lml sb