CRO GOVT SPOKESMAN COMMENTS ON STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT

( Editorial: --> 9917 ) ZAGREB, Feb 6 (Hina) - "The State Department report by-passes many accurate and positive assessments about the situation of human rights in the Republic of Croatia by other international sources: the Council of Europe, the report by the UN Special Rapporteur, the OSCE and others," Croatian government spokesman Neven Jurica told a news conference in Zagreb on Friday. It is astonishing that the "report does not point out or insufficiently observes the familiar results in many areas in the sphere of human rights protection which have been achieved through the efforts of the Croatian authorities", Jurica said. He recalled the uninterrupted dynamics of progress in the sphere during 1997. Jurica mentioned the cooperation with the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the UNTAES and the UN, the successful completion of the UNTAES mandate as a model initiated and implemented by the Croatian state authorities, and the agreement on further UN monitoring via a police support group so the international community could acquire information about further progress in the establishment of trust. Jurica also mentioned the cooperation with the OSCE and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the programme of technical cooperation and help of the UN Human Rights Centr, and the cooperation with the UN Human Rights Commission Rapporteur. He pointed out the expedition of the two-way return of displaced persons and refugees and the strengthening and establishment of national institutions for the protection of human rights. We especially stress that by ratifying the European Convention on Human Rights, Croatia automatically accepted the authority of the European Human Rights Court for all forms of possible violations of these rights, Jurica said. Recalling the results of talks between a Croatian Parliament delegation and Council of Europe and European Parliament officials which confirmed the continued process of improving human rights in Croatia, Jurica stressed that "the report of the State Department fails to point out the protection of human rights of displaced Croats and refugees and the measures which the Croatian authority has taken to that effect". "From all the above mentioned, and from the numerous positive assessments made in the State Department report, the conclusion is not an off-hand, unacceptable and utterly unfounded estimate that the Croatian system is only 'nominally democratic'," Jurica stressed. The Croatian democratic authority, even though it is aware that there could always be unbalanced assessments, off-hand interpretations and negative information selections, remains resolute in its efforts in further developing the democratic system and developing rights and freedoms. Asked about the government's stance on the Regulation on the leasing of flats in the Croatian Danube river region, Jurica explained that the Regulation had no legal effect until 15 March because information on flats was being obtained in the meantime. This would ensure enough time for getting fully informed and for interpreting certain provisions, as well as for considering certain criticisms. (hina) lm mm 061433 MET feb 98