TOMCIC AND IVANISEVIC RETURN FROM NEW YORK

ZAGREB, Sept 4 (Hina) - The furtherance of the international parliamentary co-operation and the reform of the United Nations were the main topics of the conference the heads of parliaments of the UN member-countries held in the New York-based UN headquarters from 30 August to 1 September, said the Sabor Speaker Zlatko Tomcic upon his return from New York to Zagreb on Monday morning. That meeting, which was one of the events scheduled before the UN Millennium Assembly, drew 135 heads of parliaments. Croatia was represented by Tomcic and the Sabor House of Counties Speaker Katica Ivanisevic, who also attended the conference of female heads of parliaments. "According to the document we adopted, the heads of UN member- countries' parliaments have assumed a commitment to intensify the international parliamentary co-operation so that parliamentarians can contribute to efforts aimed at settling the thorny issues the human race is faced with - peace, hunger, disarmament and all other things quoted in the UN charter, Tomcic told a news conference he and Ivanisevic held upon their arrival at the Zagreb airport. Considering the reforms of the World Organisation, all participants were unanimous that the UN needed the reform so that it could give better answers to the challenges of the 3rd millennium. During his stay in New York, Tomcic held talks with his Italian, Austrian, Hungarian and Turkish counterparts on general topics of the UN gathering as well as on the forthcoming conference of the parliamentary heads of member-states of the Stability Pact for Southeaster Europe, scheduled for 11-13 September in Zagreb. (hina) ms