CRO REPS SATISFIED WITH COE MONITORING COMMITTEE'S WORK

PARIS, Mar 10 (Hina) - Croatia's permanent member in a Council of Europe committee monitoring how member-states comply with undertaken obligations on Wednesday said a report on Croatia adopted by the committee alongside a draft resolution and recommendations was "rather balanced and objective." The committee today discussed Croatia at a session held in Paris. Alongside Domljan, also attending was Croatian opposition representative Snjezana Biga-Friganovic. Biga-Friganovic agreed with Domljan's assessment. She thanked the rapporteurs during discussion on a "comprehensive and objective report." "Viewed as a whole, the report can be said to be rather balanced, objective," Domljan told reporters after the session. "It takes into consideration the situation Croatia is in, avoids heavy words, or a too harsh criticism." The report also takes into consideration the difficulties Croatia has gone through, he added. Biga-Friganovic said she would have been "much happier were the monitoring process completed, because that would mean Croatia had complied with all democratic standards and undertaken obligations. The situation however is what it is, and the monitoring process has been extended until 2000." "Today I thanked our rapporteurs on the very objective and comprehensive report, and also underlined their demand to include the international community in the financing of certain projects in Croatia, in particular those referring to reconstruction," Biga- Friganovic said. She also mentioned the Council of Europe social fund which she said was very important for Croatia and of which much more was expected. (hina) ha mm