ZAGREB, Nov 27 (Hina) - The adoption of a really good and long-standing constitutional law on the position of minorities is of Croatian national interest and in the function of the common good of all Croatian citizens. Such a law
should be passed for the sake of all residents in Croatia, read the editorial in the latest issue of the Catholic weekly "Glas Koncila".
ZAGREB, Nov 27 (Hina) - The adoption of a really good and long-
standing constitutional law on the position of minorities is of
Croatian national interest and in the function of the common good of
all Croatian citizens. Such a law should be passed for the sake of
all residents in Croatia, read the editorial in the latest issue of
the Catholic weekly "Glas Koncila". #L#
The editorial entitled "Full Equality to National Minorities"
reads that under normal circumstance nobody could be happy if those
beside them are unhappy.
It is the fact that Croats in Croatia have always been tolerant
towards national minorities, except for the period of the quisling
Ustasha rule, and it is a fact that other ethnic minorities on
Croatian soil have not been aggressive towards Croats, except for
Serbs, Italians and Hungarians during the aggressive and Fascist
regimes in their motherlands, the editorial reads.
It says that upon the fall of the Communist regime in the former
Yugoslavia, a part of Croatian Serbs took over the role of the fifth
columnists, under Serbia's Academy of Arts and Sciences memorandum
and Milosevic's political inspiration for the creation of a Greater
Serbia to the effect that "all Serbs should live in a single state",
and therefore, were accomplices in the aggression.
The weekly says it is the responsibility of politicians not to allow
the postponement of the adoption of the minorities' law with no end
in sight because of unrealistic ambitions of politicians, either
from Croatian or minorities' ranks. This would affect the laying of
foundations for the establishment of coexistence and a sound mutual
relationship between Croats and members of ethnic minorities.
The weekly stresses that the Croatian society must create such
standards under which the ethnic descent would be neither a
privilege nor aggravating circumstances.
Therefore it would be good, contrary to the current proposals of the
government, that the constitutional law on minorities' rights, and
not the electoral law, may regulate the manner of the election of
minorities' representatives, given that the electoral law can be
manipulated with by every government with a majority in the
Croatian parliament.
(hina) ms sb