ZAGREB, Feb 5 (Hina) - The President's Chief-of-Staff, Ivo Sanader, today received Assistant US Secretary of State for Human Rights, John Shattuck, the President's office said in a statement. Also present was US Ambassador to Croatia,
Peter Galbraith.
STATE
ZAGREB, Feb 5 (Hina) - The President's Chief-of-Staff, Ivo Sanader,
today received Assistant US Secretary of State for Human Rights,
John Shattuck, the President's office said in a statement. Also
present was US Ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith. #L#
Following is the full text of the statement:
"The talks focused on cooperation between the Republic of
Croatia and the International War Crimes Tribunal, and the return
of all displaced Croatian citizens. Both sides expressed the belief
that both issues were crucial to the successful implementation of
the Dayton Peace Agreement and the Basic Agreement on the Peaceful
Reintegration of the Croatian Danube Area, and that it was
therefore needful to ensure the prompt resolution of same.
Sanader informed Shattuck of preparation to introduce changes
in the Croatian legislation which would promote cooperation between
the Republic of Croatia and the International War Crimes Tribunal.
He reiterated the Croatian authorities' support to the just
resolution of the issue of human rights violations, with a view to
the successful implementation of the peace agreement and the
normalisation of inter-state relations in the region.
As for the return of displaced persons and refugees, the
meeting stressed the need to introduce steps and measures to
stimulate reconstruction and confidence building in the formerly
occupied parts of Croatia, and to resolve the issue of Croats who
had fled Vojvodina and Kosovo.
Sanader reiterated that the Republic of Croatia and Bosnian
Croats, had been the first victims of the greater-Serbian
aggression. He stressed the need for objective observation and
impartial treatment of war crimes - and human rights abuses in
general - regardless of which side committed them.
Shattuck expressed the United States' support to such an
approach. He believed that the Croatian authorities played an
exemplary role which was very important in the process of
successful resolution of the above-mentioned issues and the
implementation of the peace agreements.
Also present were Deputy Chief-of-Staff Vesna Skare-Ozbolt and
head of the Foreign Ministry Human Rights Department, Dubravka
Simonovic.
(hina) jn as
052046 MET feb 96