ZAGREB, May 20 (Hina) - A system of accountability must be set up in Croatia on all levels, ombudsman Ante Klaric said on Thursday presenting a report on his work to the Croatian parliament's House of Representatives. The report was
highly praised by the MPs who said it was one of the best to have been presented to the parliament. It must be followed by a quality reaction, they pointed out. To enable the parliament to act promptly, it was suggested that such reports should be submitted at least twice a year. The benches of the Croatian Peasants' Party and the Social Democratic Party said the ombudsman's report offers an excellent insight into what is happening in Croatian society. The MPs warned about the frequent instances when citizens cannot exert their legally guaranteed rights. Bozo Kovacevic said on behalf of the Liberal Party that some state bodies consciously break the law, and stressed the govern
ZAGREB, May 20 (Hina) - A system of accountability must be set up in
Croatia on all levels, ombudsman Ante Klaric said on Thursday
presenting a report on his work to the Croatian parliament's House
of Representatives.
The report was highly praised by the MPs who said it was one of the
best to have been presented to the parliament. It must be followed
by a quality reaction, they pointed out.
To enable the parliament to act promptly, it was suggested that such
reports should be submitted at least twice a year.
The benches of the Croatian Peasants' Party and the Social
Democratic Party said the ombudsman's report offers an excellent
insight into what is happening in Croatian society.
The MPs warned about the frequent instances when citizens cannot
exert their legally guaranteed rights.
Bozo Kovacevic said on behalf of the Liberal Party that some state
bodies consciously break the law, and stressed the government
should be asked to answer why this is tolerated.
Snjezana Biga-Friganovic of the Social Democratic Party suggested
a conclusion should be passed to the effect of having state
institutions reported by the ombudsman to competent parliamentary
committees in instances when they fail to react to the ombudsman's
warnings.
The MPs also positively assessed the fact that no new instances of
violations of ownership rights were registered in 1998.
Ombudsman Klaric pointed to instances of human rights violations
about which citizens contact him, but which were not mentioned in
his report due to the fact that they are not under his competence.
He mentioned unpaid salaries and the problems of those who lost
their deposits due to banks' failures. These are human dramas,
especially for those who have returned to the homeland and
deposited what they have earned in their entire life, Klaric said.
He also mentioned the problems families of veterans who committed
suicide have in realising their rights, and suggested competent
parliamentary committees should amend the laws protecting this
category.
Also assessed positively was the state attorney's report on his
work in 1998.
Vladimir Seks of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union suggested the
Legislative Committee should present a truthful interpretation of
a set of laws, including the one on amnesty, before they are
changed. This should prevent persons criminally persecuted for
activities during the Serbian aggression against Croatia earlier
this decade, to whom the amnesty law applies, from being given the
right to compensation for damage suffered during detention.
(hina) ha