E.U. PARLIAMENT ADOPTS RESOLUTION DELAYING CROATIA'S ADMISSION TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE

COUNCIL OF EUROPE BRUSSELS, June 6 (Hina) - The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday supporting a decision by the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers to delay Croatia's admission to the Council of Europe. The resolution called on the Croatian president and government to accept immediately and without delay the fundamental principles of human rights and democratic freedoms stipulated in the Council of Europe convention on protection of human rights and basic freedoms. The European Parliament supported the Council of Europe decision to make the accession of Croatia conditional on: - respect for freedom of the press, - right of the Serb refugees to return, - full cooperation with the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, and - compliance with the elections results in Zagreb and enabling the election of a mayor. The Parliament expressed concern about legal action against several journalists and about freedom of the media. It called on Croatian authorities to guarantee all political parties access to state-run television and media ahead of local elections that would take place in September. The resolution was submitted by representatives of the European Socialist Party, the European People's Party, the European Party of Liberals, Democrats and Reformers, the Confederation of the European United Left and the Nordic Greens, and the European Radical Alliance. Deputies rejected two of the three amendments proposed by the Radical Alliance and the Greens. (hina) vm jn 061544 MET jun 96