OSCE PERMANENT COUNCIL CRITICISES CROATIA

ZAGREB, Sept 3 (Hina) - Particular concern, frustration with the Croatian Government, actions which are in contrast with assumed obligations, artificial and bureaucratic obstacles to the return of refugees, political abuse of electronic media...foreign diplomats at the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in Vienna on Thursday used those phrases to describe the situation in Croatia. The newly appointed OSCE head Bernard Poncet presented a report on the situation in Croatia. We are particularly concern about results of the investigation and a report by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to the Security Council that Croatia failed to respect the international law regarding the cooperation with the ICTY, the United States Ambassador at the OSCE, David Johnson, said. He added that the United States shared the ICTY frustration with the Croatian Government. We are still concern about the slowness of the return process and artificial and bureaucratic obstacles to the return of refugees, the Unites States report reads. There are still cases of organised violence and intimidation of Serbs and the Croatian Government has done very little to protect those Croatian citizens, the report reads. The Croatian Government must fulfil its international obligations; the electoral law must be passed four months before the elections, freedom of media and balanced reporting on television, the return of refugees, voting of the diaspora, and the dialogue with the Opposition, the European Union statement reads. The United States also noted that the ruling party controlled public media. (hina) it/lml