CRO CONSTITUTIONAL COURT PRESIDENT RETURNS FROM VISIT TO GREAT BRITAIN

BRITAIN $ ZAGREB, 17 Oct (Hina) - The President of the Croatian Constitutional Court, Jadranko Crnic, on Friday returned from his several-day visit to Great Britain, where he had been invited by the British government. During the visit, he held talks with the representatives of the highest judicial bodies in London and Edinburgh, which marked the beginning of cooperation between the Croatian, English and Scottish lawyers, Crnic said upon his return to Zagreb. #L# During the visit, which lasted from 12 to 16 October, Crnic met with the main people of the English Supreme Court and the highest officials of Scotland's Supreme Court. I have had several meetings in the British Foreign Office, Crnic said stressing the importance of his visit to the so-called Article 19, Britain's office whose sole task is to protect freedom of the media and fight censorship. Many talks were dedicated to the application of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is soon to be ratified by the Croatian Parliament. The beginning of its application in the British judiciary is expected next year. The British hosts were especially interested in the work of the Croatian Constitutional Court so Crnic presented them with English translations of the Constitutional Court decisions. Most of my hosts were impressed with the fact that the Croatian Constitutional Court, had been applying the European Convention on Human Rights in explaining its decisions, even before its official application, and the credit for that should be ascribed primarily to high standards of the Croatian Constitution itself, Crnic stressed. Crnic also held talks with legal experts from British universities, and as president of the Croatian Red Cross, with Britain's Red Cross representatives. (hina) rm 171459 MET oct 97