SIMONOVIC: CROATIA STRENGTHENING HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITMENTS ( Editorial: --> 1844 )

( Editorial: --> 1844 ) WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Hina) - Croatian Ambassador to the United Nations Ivan Simonovic said on Tuesday that Croatia would pay more attention to further strengthening its human rights commitments. After successfully defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity and with the approaching successful completion of the reintegration of Eastern Slavonia, Croatia will place greater emphasis on further strengthening its commitment to the issue of human rights, Simonovic told the UN Human Rights Committee in New York. He said Croatia was the only area of former Yugoslavia which was seeing a substantial return of minorities. Croatia welcomes the return of those who have expressed their sincere wish to return to Croatia to exercise their rights and to assume their obligations as loyal citizens of Croatia, he said. Recalling that the Croatian government had made efforts to create conditions for the safe return of displaced persons and refugees, Simonovic said that rivers of desperate people who fled Vukovar on this day six years ago were now starting to return. Simonovic questioned the need of the UN Human Rights Committee to continue to specifically deal with the issue of Croatia. Croatia favours continuation of cooperation with the UN in the field of human rights on a different basis, Simonovic said. Instead of monitoring, Croatia would welcome technical assistance and cooperation in the field of human rights which will strengthen the practical dimensions of respecting human rights and help various national institutions recently established in Croatia for that purpose. As regards the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Simonovic said it was necessary that all accused should stand trial. He added that the composition of the accused reflected the degree of responsibility of the parties. Croatia cannot be satisfied with the fact that only five individuals have been accused of war crimes against citizens of the Republic of Croatia and that only one of the accused is in the tribunal's custody, Simonovic said. He said the Croatian government was particularly concerned about the fate of Bosnian Croats, who were threatened with extinction. The plight of Bosnian Croats and their suffering have received insufficient attention from the international community. The human rights of Bosnian Croats have to be respected and they have to be enabled to return to their homes in central Bosnia and the Posavina region in order to preserve a multi-ethnic Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as the peace and stability in the region. We are concerned about the continuing harassment of ethnic Croats in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, particularly in the Zemun area, which is forcing them to flee the country. They are joining nearly 50,000 other Croats who have fled since 1991, Simonovic said. In conclusion, Simonovic said it was alarming that Serbian radical Vojislav Seselj was a serious contender in the forthcoming presedential election in Serbia. (hina) vm 182139 MET nov 97