ZAGREB, May 10 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon began a debate on a bill of amendments to the constitutional law on minorities. Parliament's Committee on Human Rights and the Rights of
Minorities believes that decisions on districts which the bill rescinds should be replaced with forms of minority self-government. The Committee has suggested that the bill be passed on condition that the government draft a new constitutional law whose full name is the Constitutional Law on Human Rights and Freedoms and the Rights of Ethnic and National Communities or Minorities. Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) MP Jadranka Kosor protested the fact that the debate, which she said was of general interest, was not broadcast by Croatian Radio-Television. Several other MPs supported her, including parliament president Zlatko Tomcic. Before the debate, HDZ bench presi
ZAGREB, May 10 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of
Representatives on Wednesday afternoon began a debate on a bill of
amendments to the constitutional law on minorities.
Parliament's Committee on Human Rights and the Rights of Minorities
believes that decisions on districts which the bill rescinds should
be replaced with forms of minority self-government.
The Committee has suggested that the bill be passed on condition
that the government draft a new constitutional law whose full name
is the Constitutional Law on Human Rights and Freedoms and the
Rights of Ethnic and National Communities or Minorities.
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) MP Jadranka Kosor protested the
fact that the debate, which she said was of general interest, was
not broadcast by Croatian Radio-Television. Several other MPs
supported her, including parliament president Zlatko Tomcic.
Before the debate, HDZ bench president Vladimir Seks asserted the
Lower House's voting on the bill was obstructed by the fact that the
House of Counties had not given its opinion.
The chairman of parliament's Committee on the Constitution, Rule
Book and Political System, Mato Arlovic of the Social Democratic
Party, who formulated the bill of amendments, disagreed. He
reminded Seks the Upper House yesterday refused to include the bill
on its agenda, which he said implied its position was negative.
Arlovic said this was not reason for the Lower House to interrupt
the debate, since this could lead to the risk of parliament's work
being frozen while waiting for the position of the Upper House.
Parliament president Tomcic concluded the Lower House could not
discuss why the Upper House had not discussed the submitted bill.
The Upper House yesterday refused to include the bill on the agenda
with the explanation that the Lower House had failed to respect the
procedure for the initiation of amendments to constitutional laws,
even announcing the possibility of a constitutional complaint
against the Lower House.
Lower House vice president Arlovic on the other hand told reporters
constitutional laws were not subject to the application of
procedures referring to the Constitution, but procedures referring
to system laws.
Arlovic today commented on statements made in parliament and in
public which demanded alternate solutions to districts, or kotars,
which the bill of amendments to the constitutional law on
minorities abolishes.
He told those who claimed kotars should be replaced by minority
self-government that minorities had been guaranteed a relative
degree of representation at the local level.
There is no need for the issue to escalate into political conflicts,
Arlovic said, adding remarks that the government would short-
change any minority in the rights they had achieved were
insulting.
The current constitutional law on minorities contains provisions
on two kotars, namely administrative units with a high degree of
self-government, in the region formerly controlled by Serb
separatists.
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