LOWER HOUSE ADOPTS SEVERAL LAWS & POSTPONES VOTE ON MINORITY LANGUAGES

LANGUAGES ( Editorial: --> 3143 ) ZAGREB, Sept 25 (Hina) - In an effort to eliminate issues of conflict and offer more time to find solutions which would ensure greater agreement, representatives of the Croatian National Parliament's Lower House postponed taking the vote on the final bill on the Law on the Official Use of Languages and Scripts Which are Used by National Minorities. Speaking on behalf of the opposition parties' bench, Social Democratic Party's Ivica Racan put forward the proposal to postpone the vote on the bill which is in its third reading. The proposal was accepted on behalf of the Croatian Democratic Union's bench by Vladimir Seks. Racan suggested that the postponement should be used to meet with representatives of national minorities with the "aim of eliminating issues of conflict". The most controversial point of yesterday's debate regarding the bill was the regulation saying the right to officially use languages and scripts of minorities would be the right of municipalities and cities and not of counties. Most MP's considered that the bill did not demise any existing rights while Istrian Democratic Assembly representatives and Italian minority MP Furio Radin argued that the bill was now even more restrictive than it was in its second reading. In continuation of the session, representatives adopted laws necessary to confirm agreements between the Council of Europe's Fund for Social Development and the Republic of Croatia. The Fund is to loan about US$11 million towards the reconstruction of schools in the Croatian Danube region and a further US$27.8 million for aid to the health infrastructure. During the afternoon sitting Lower House representatives voted on supplementary items to be added to the agenda of the current session. It is foreseen that the session will continue for the next two weeks when it should once again discuss changes to the Law on the Rights and Duties of State Officials. The MPs adopted the Law on Air Traffic and the Law on Obligatory and Legal Relations in Air Traffic. In keeping with the Government's obligation to regulate finances for blind persons, representatives adopted the Law on the Movement of Blind Persons with the aid of an aide-dog while at the same time the Law on the Well-being of Animals was forwarded for a third draft. After voting on laws was completed, the Lower House opened a debate on the Report on the Fires in the Adriatic Region in July and August. (Hina) sp/rml 251813 MET sep 98