DETAINED, MISSING VETERANS SHOULD BE PARLIAMENT'S PERMANENT CONCERN - SAYS TOMCIC

ZAGREB, April 6 (Hina) - Croatia's parliament president Zlatko Tomcic on Thursday said he would take action to put on parliament's agenda as soon as possible a bill on the Croatian Red Cross and a bill of amendments to the Law on Veterans' Rights. Tomcic also said he would urge that a report by the Commission for Detained and Missing Persons be delivered to parliament in the shortest possible time, since the government commission submitted its last report in February 1999. Parliament's president today held separate meetings with delegations of the Croatian Red Cross, the "Croatian Phoenix", an association gathering families of detained and missing soldiers, and the association of Croatian soldiers treated for Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After talking to the "Croatian Phoenix" delegation, Tomcic said he "will put an end to non-compliance with the parliamentary decision according to which the Commission for Detained and Missing Persons should submit a report on its work every six months." The detained and the missing cannot be spoken of "as numbers", Tomcic asserted, adding both parliament and the government were obligated to step up the exhumation, identification, and tracing of missing and detained Homeland War soldiers. Representatives of the association of veterans treated for PTSD demanded that sick veterans should have the same rights as wounded ones. Tomcic said there was no doubt that the mater should be put before parliament for discussion as soon as possible. (hina) ha mm