OPATIJA: COUNCIL OF EUROPE STRESSES NOTION OF CULTURAL DEMOCRACY

OPATIJA, Oct 22 (Hina) - During an international conference in Opatija on Wednesday, the head of the Council of Europe's cultural policy department, pointed to the importance of cultural democracy and protection of different cultural identities. #L# Different cultural identities must find ways for their own expression and be included into all trends so as to prevent tensions and conflicts, said a Council of Europe official, Vera Boltho, at a news conference held in the northern Croatian coastal resort of Opatija after the CoE culture ministers wrapped up their conference in that town. She added that the Council of Europe was offering the greatest space for the implementation of a declaration on inter-cultural dialogue and prevention of conflict, adopted at the Opatija conference as the final document. Boltho announced the set-up of a network of cities and towns in which multiculturality was pronounced. Some of the cities which might be included in the network are Croatia's Pula, Bosnia- Herzegovina's Tuzla, Nicosia in Cyprus and Belfast in North Ireland. She added that there were plans to organise annual forums on the topic, and the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo is likely to host the first event of that kind. Croatia's Culture Minister, Antun Vujic, told reporters that the declaration provided for the exchange of legislative experience and practice among countries. Vujic said intercultural dialogue and the prevention of conflict were important in regions where "conflicts erupted due to the misuse of culture, namely when culture became ideology". (hina) ms