ZAGREB, May 4 (Hina) - The Committee on the Constitution, Rule Book, and Political System of the Croatian parliament's House of Representatives on Thursday endorsed a bill of amendments to the Constitutional Law on human rights and
the rights of minorities. The Committee today held a joint session with the Committee on Legislation and the Committee on Human Rights and National Minorities. Minorities committee chairman Furio Radin voiced dissatisfaction with the urgency of the amendments to the Constitutional Law, saying he would not vote on the bill if it failed to ensure a minimum of minority self-government. Radin said amendments to the Constitutional Law on minorities had to be endorsed in package with another two minorities laws which refer to the official usage of a minority language and minorities' education. "If amendments to the Constitutional Law are a condition for Croatia to access Pa
ZAGREB, May 4 (Hina) - The Committee on the Constitution, Rule Book,
and Political System of the Croatian parliament's House of
Representatives on Thursday endorsed a bill of amendments to the
Constitutional Law on human rights and the rights of minorities.
The Committee today held a joint session with the Committee on
Legislation and the Committee on Human Rights and National
Minorities.
Minorities committee chairman Furio Radin voiced dissatisfaction
with the urgency of the amendments to the Constitutional Law,
saying he would not vote on the bill if it failed to ensure a minimum
of minority self-government.
Radin said amendments to the Constitutional Law on minorities had
to be endorsed in package with another two minorities laws which
refer to the official usage of a minority language and minorities'
education.
"If amendments to the Constitutional Law are a condition for
Croatia to access Partnership for Peace, the minorities will send a
proclamation to the international community demanding a 15-day
delay so that we may pass a better law," Radin told reporters.
Croatia passed the Constitutional Law on Human Rights and Freedoms
and the Rights of Ethnic and National Communities and Minorities in
1992 as a condition for admission to the United Nations. Certain
provisions were suspended after Croatia's military-police
operation "Storm" in 1995.
The present amendments to that law include proposals from a debate
the Lower House held last week.
Committee on the Constitution, Rule Book, and Political System
chairman Mato Arlovic told today's session the districts mentioned
in the present Constitutional Law had never become a reality and
made no sense today because in them Croats would be a minority. The
bill of amendments will replace "districts with special status"
with "units of local government and self-government."
The Montenegrin and Macedonian minorities have been added to the
ones listed in the government-motioned bill, which includes
Albanians, Austrians, Bosnian Muslims, the Czech, Hungarians,
Germans, Italians, Jews, Macedonians, Montenegrins, the Romany,
Ruthenians, Serbs, Slovaks, Slovenes, Ukrainians, and members of
other ethnic and national communities or minorities.
According to the bill of amendments, members of ethnic and national
communities or minorities who account for less than eight percent
of Croatia's population are entitled to elect a minimum of five
deputies in parliament's House of Representatives, while those
accounting for more would have proportionate representation.
Arlovic said that would take place after the next census.
(hina) ha jn