ZAGREB, May 8 (Hina) - Vice-president of the Croatian National Parliament Mato Arlovic on Monday received European Community Monitoring Mission chief in Zagreb, Hans Ewe, the Parliament said in a statement. The talks focused on
current legislative initiatives of the Croatian Parliament for which Arlovic said were in line with recommendations of the international community and pertain to the Constitutional Law and several laws regulating the issue of national minorities, as well as the Law on Reconstruction. Arlovic explained that the Constitutional Law on National Minorities restored this status to members of all peoples whose status as minorities had been rescinded in 1995, and gave the status to Slovenes, Montenegrins, Bosniaks and Romanies. National minorities which are less than eight per cent of the entire population, would have at least five representatives in the Parliament. Minorities of more than
ZAGREB, May 8 (Hina) - Vice-president of the Croatian National
Parliament Mato Arlovic on Monday received European Community
Monitoring Mission chief in Zagreb, Hans Ewe, the Parliament said
in a statement.
The talks focused on current legislative initiatives of the
Croatian Parliament for which Arlovic said were in line with
recommendations of the international community and pertain to the
Constitutional Law and several laws regulating the issue of
national minorities, as well as the Law on Reconstruction.
Arlovic explained that the Constitutional Law on National
Minorities restored this status to members of all peoples whose
status as minorities had been rescinded in 1995, and gave the status
to Slovenes, Montenegrins, Bosniaks and Romanies.
National minorities which are less than eight per cent of the entire
population, would have at least five representatives in the
Parliament.
Minorities of more than eight per cent of the entire population
would receive the status of national minority and thus gain the
right to representatives in all forms of authority, Arlovic said.
Ewe wished to know about the possibility of reducing the percentage
threshold of eight per cent for gaining the status of national
minority and the future role of the House of Counties.
Parliament vice-president said a reduction would mean support to
Milosevic's politics of ethnic cleansing and relocating Croatian
Serbs to Kosovo.
Long-term this could mean a demand for a federation which a country
of 4.5 million people cannot afford, he added.
As regards the House of Counties, Arlovic held in should not be
rescinded, but strengthen its role to control the
constitutionality of law adoption, the statement said.
At the end of the talks, Ewe concluded legal initiatives were moving
towards European associations and that Croatia would enjoy his
support on this path.
(hina) lml jn