CROATIA INVITED TO BECOME COUNCIL OF EUROPE MEMBER - STATEMENT

STRASBOURG, July 2 (Hina) - The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers decided on Tuesday to invite Croatia to become a member of the organization, the Council said in a statement. Following is the full text of the statement: "The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers today decided to invite Croatia to become a member of the Organization. However, the decision is not immediately effective, as the Committee reserved the possibility of reconsidering it in the second half of September with reference to Croatia's observance of the Dayton Peace Agreement and, in particular, its attitude during the elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina and its priority commitments towards the Council of Europe. "The Ministers' Deputies will consider the question of the date of Croatia's accession to the Council of Europe at their October meeting. "On 4 June 1996, after receiving an Opinion from the Parliamentary Assembly in favour of Croatia's accession, the Ministers' Deputies postponed a decision on the matter and asked the Croatian Government for some assurances and positive initiatives regarded as particularly crucial. "Specified in a memorandum of 7 June sent by the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia, these commitments concern in particular the implementation of the Peace Agreements, the human rights, minorities, refugees and displaced persons, the media, the local and regional authorities and the local elections." (hina) vm 022115 MET jul 96