NORWEGIANS CONCERNED ABOUT MINORITY RIGHTS BECAUSE OF SERB ASYLUM SEEKERS

ASYLUM SEEKERS ( Editorial: --> 8807 ) ZAGREB, March 11 (Hina) - A delegation of the Norwegian Parliament and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee on Wednesday expressed its concern over the status of minorities in Croatia, because of the continuous inflow of Serbs from the Croatian Danube River region seeking asylum in Norway. Norwegian MPs and members of the Helsinki Committee for the Protection of Human Rights held talks in Zagreb with members of the Croatian National Parliament on human rights and the position of the Serb minority, especially Serb refugees in the Danube region. "We are generally worried with the situation of the minorities in Croatia," the delegation head Erik Solheim told Hina. Solheim said that the claims for asylum by Croatian Serbs in Norway, which already amounted to 1300, would be considered individually. If it was established they were harassed they might have the right to remain, if not then they would be returned to Croatia, he said. He said that Norway would not grant asylum to those seeking it for economic reasons, and expressed his belief that most of the people seeking asylum would not be given the right. Solheim also expressed concern over Croatian President Franjo Tudjman's speech at the recent general convention of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). He said the speech had provoked negative reactions. "We were embarrassed by the speech of the president at the latest party congress of the ruling party of Croatia because we believe that the speech did not contribute to establishing an atmosphere of reconciliation within Croatia and in the region," Solheim said. "We think the leading politicians, basically the president, should take responsibility to create an atmosphere of reconciliation within Croatia." According to Solheim, since Norway gave the largest contribution per capita to SFOR and also to humanitarian activities in the region and this gave it a right to express its concern. During the talks, Croatian National Parliament deputy speaker Vladimir Seks (HDZ) told the Norwegians that Serbs from the Croatian Danube region were leaving only due to economic reasons. He said the revival of the local economy would resolve the problem of Serbs leaving and Croat displaced people returning. Seks and the chairwoman of the House of Representatives committee for inter-parliamentary cooperation, Zdravka Busic, said the Croatian President's speech, given that it was held at the HDZ's party convention, was intended for domestic use and that it did not contain contentious issues. Social Democratic Party MP Antun Vujic said Tudjman's speech was not only criticised outside of Croatia but internally as well, and that his party was dissatisfied with parts which, he said, were imbued with "pseudo-scientific discourse" on the history of Bosnia-Herzegovina. But he said that the speech had to be distinguished from the actions of Croatia which, in carrying out the Dayton accords, despite everything, was among the more cooperative sides. Vujic said Serbs from the Danube region were leaving because of economic reasons and Croatia was not applying double standards towards Serb refugees and Croat displaced people. Solheim said also of concern in Tudjman's speech were attacks on non-governmental organisations which were concerned with the protection of human rights. Seks mentioned that the Croatian President in that speech had only mentioned the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO). He said the main problem of the HHO was distinguishing when it ran opposition politics and when it advocated human rights, given that some of its leading people like Bozo Kovacevic and Ivo Banac were also prominent members of the Liberal Party. (Hina) jn mb /lm 111748 MET mar 98