ROME, April 26 (Hina) - Croatia's ambassador in Rome forwarded a letter to the Italian ANSA news agency on Thursday refuting allegations in the Italian media to the effect that bilingualism in the northern Adriatic Istria County had
been abolished by a Croatian Justice Ministry decision. The Italian media have recently described the decision, which temporarily suspended ten Istria County Statute provisions, as "the abolishment of bilingualism in Istria" or the "suspension of the Italian minority's rights." "Bilingualism in Croatia... is part of the country's constitutional order and it cannot be brought into question by decisions of any ministry," Ambassador Drago Kraljevic wrote. He explained that after the January 2000 polls, Croatia adopted a package of new laws on human and minority rights based on principal international conventions and charters. "This very new legislation, and the subseque
ROME, April 26 (Hina) - Croatia's ambassador in Rome forwarded a
letter to the Italian ANSA news agency on Thursday refuting
allegations in the Italian media to the effect that bilingualism in
the northern Adriatic Istria County had been abolished by a
Croatian Justice Ministry decision.
The Italian media have recently described the decision, which
temporarily suspended ten Istria County Statute provisions, as
"the abolishment of bilingualism in Istria" or the "suspension of
the Italian minority's rights."
"Bilingualism in Croatia... is part of the country's
constitutional order and it cannot be brought into question by
decisions of any ministry," Ambassador Drago Kraljevic wrote.
He explained that after the January 2000 polls, Croatia adopted a
package of new laws on human and minority rights based on principal
international conventions and charters. "This very new
legislation, and the subsequent constitutional changes, gave
Istria County the right, which it did not have before, to introduce
bilingualism in county institutions," he wrote.
"Consequently, the Croatian Ministry of Justice, Administration
and Local Self-government has not reached a decision 'abolishing
bilingualism' or 'reducing the acquired rights of the Italian
minority in Istria'. It just temporarily contested the right of the
Istria County Assembly, pending the Constitutional Court's final
decision, to decide about the introduction of bilingualism
throughout the county's territory, given that under the law the
county cannot do so," read the letter.
It added, "if a specific area (municipality or town) wants to
introduce the equal use of a national minority's language besides
the official Croatian... the decision is up to municipal and town
councils, in line with the statute and the law, and not up to the
county assembly."
"Unfortunately, a completely wrong picture has been painted in
certain media as to what actually happened after the county's new
statute was adopted... Instead of speaking publicly about the
rights of national minorities in Croatia and, in this particular
case about extending bilingualism in Istria to county
institutions... we have information which may paint an entirely
different picture among the population," the Croatian ambassador
wrote.
(hina) ha sb