PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT TOMCIC RECEIVES ECMM CHIEF DE ALMEIDA

ZAGREB, Mar 7 (Hina) - Croatian parliament president Zlatko Tomcic on Tuesday received the chief of the European Community Monitoring Mission to Croatia, Pedro Montinho de Almeida. The two officials discussed Croatia's rapprochement with the European Union (EU). "As you know, the European Union is very satisfied with the political changes which have taken place in Croatia in the past two months, and Portugal is especially satisfied with the fact that it is happening at the time when Portugal is presiding the EU," de Almeida told reporters in Zagreb. He reminded a European Commission technical mission arrived in Zagreb yesterday to consider future EU relations with Croatia, and expressed hope in a positive development of the situation in Croatia. "We discussed upcoming legislative projects, laws on the return of refugees in the entire region, laws on the media, and laws which will enable a full respect of human rights and minorities' rights," said Croatia's Tomcic. He added work was underway on laws on national minorities, and announced amendments to a law on Croatian Radio-Television would be passed soon. Tomcic appealed to the EU for assistance in resolving the issue of Prevlaka, Croatia's southern-most tip to which neighbouring Yugoslavia has territorial aspirations, and the issue of the return of Croats to Republika Srpska, Bosnia's Serb entity. (hina) ha jn