ZAGREB ZAGREB, Nov 22 (Hina) - Legal instruments for the protection of human rights are substantially less effective if there is lack of political will to apply them, Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said in Zagreb on
Wednesday. The responsibility for the realisation of standards set for the protection of human rights lies with states themselves, but non-governmental organisations can help considerably, he told an international conference on human rights in Southeast Europe and the European integration process. Picula accentuated the importance of holding the conference on the eve of the Nov. 24 Zagreb Summit which he said should open to Croatia and other countries in the region new prospects for approaching the European Union. The president of the Croatian Helsinki Committee on Human Rights, Izet Aganovic, pointed to unresolved issues pertaining to human rights in Croatia, especially the return of
ZAGREB, Nov 22 (Hina) - Legal instruments for the protection of
human rights are substantially less effective if there is lack of
political will to apply them, Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino
Picula said in Zagreb on Wednesday.
The responsibility for the realisation of standards set for the
protection of human rights lies with states themselves, but non-
governmental organisations can help considerably, he told an
international conference on human rights in Southeast Europe and
the European integration process.
Picula accentuated the importance of holding the conference on the
eve of the Nov. 24 Zagreb Summit which he said should open to Croatia
and other countries in the region new prospects for approaching the
European Union.
The president of the Croatian Helsinki Committee on Human Rights,
Izet Aganovic, pointed to unresolved issues pertaining to human
rights in Croatia, especially the return of exiled persons to pre-
war homes, the rights of national minorities and the freedom of the
media.
Thus far, a civic society has been considered a utopia due to closed
autocratic regimes throughout Southeast Europe, but the
democratisation of Croatia and the future democratisation of
neighbouring Yugoslavia should guarantee the creation of a civic
society, said Aganovic.
The executive director of the International Helsinki Federation,
Aaron Rhodes, said the final document the conference is passing on
Thursday, and which will be submitted to the participants in the
Zagreb Summit, should accentuate the need of cooperating with UN's
war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
He believes the international community has shown insufficient
will to prosecute war crimes. He welcomed Yugoslavia's return to
the international negotiating table, but stressed the
international community would not forget all that happened in the
past decade.
Per Vinther, head of the European Commission delegation to Croatia,
said that all those wishing to integrate into the EU must respect
international standards on the protection of human rights.
(hina) ha jn