HDZ CENTRAL COMMITTEE ON PRIVATIZATION, HUMAN RIGHTS

ZAGREB, Feb 25 (Hina) - The second day of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Central Committee First session continued on Sunday with discussions on privatization, agriculture, reconstruction, demographic renewal, legal system and human rights and freedoms. Ivan Penic, head of the state privatization fund, said that Croatian citizens and owners enjoyed numerous discounts while purchasing stock bonds that were not at disposal to others in eastern Europe. He stressed that the Croatian Privatization Fund had so far made 634,500 contracts, majority of them (587,000) with small share holders. Another party official, Milan Kovac, recalled the assessment of the economic situation in Croatia, recently issued by Swiss Bank Union UBS (Union de Banque Suisse), saying that Croatia was likely to have the most successful results in 1996. Speaking of refurbishing of the legal system, Smiljko Sokol said it needed to be simplified, first of all to be adjusted for peace (post-war) circumstances. Ljerka Mintas-Hodak said that, not counting some individual irregularities, a general condition of the political, civic, religious, social and other freedoms and minority rights in Croatia was satisfactory. (Hina) jn bk 251656 MET feb 96