DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OPENS SEMINAR ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN DUBROVNIK

DUBROVNIK, Aug 30 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Zeljka Antunovic opened a seminar on human rights in Dubrovnik on Wednesday. The meeting, entitled "Application of the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights", is organised by the Council of Europe and the Croatian Foreign Ministry. Speaking to about 20 legal experts participating in the seminar, Antunovic said the level of protection of human rights in Croatia was debatable - "sometimes it is better and sometimes poorer than in the countries we should compare ourselves with". She added the purpose of the meeting was to contribute to the improvement of the current situation. Speaking about the most frequent problems regarding human rights in Croatia, Antunovic singled out human rights violations which are the consequence of the war and war conflicts in the region, including those regarding the right to property, the right to use and repossess one's property, the right to minimum living conditions for settlers, the rights of war victims, and the rights of a large population of pensioners. The two-day seminar will focus on conditions for submitting a complaint to the European Human Rights Court, the right to a fair trial, freedom and safety, and the term "Prerequisites for a Democratic Society". (hina) rml