CRO AMBASSADOR TO UN ON COOPERATION BETWEEN UN, REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS

NEW YORK, Dec 7 (Hina) - Speaking before the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, Croatia's permanent representative at the U.N., Ivan Simonovic, called for a better cooperation and division of work between the U.N. and regional organisations. Simonovic's speech focused on relations between the UN, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The ambassador described Croatia's cooperation with the U.N. and OSCE as very useful. Croatia will continue its constructive dialogue with the OSCE Mission, he said, adding he believed the presence of OSCE monitors in Croatia would no longer be needed if positive developments in the country continued. The Council of Europe has proven to be a leading international organisation for the promotion and protection of human rights, Simonovic said. Bosnia-Herzegovina's membership in the Council of Europe would strengthen governing and positively affect further democratic development and the protection of human rights in that country, he said. He stressed the importance of defining the role of regional organisations in the world that is changing and possible timely division of work between the U.N. and regional organisations. (hina) rml