FISCHER EXPECTS CROATIA TO BE ADMITTED TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE

STRASBOURG, Sept 26 (Hina) - The president of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, Leni Fischer, said on Thursday she believed that the Committee of Ministers "will be in a situation to set a date of Croatia's accession" to the Council of Europe at a mid-October meeting. Fischer spoke to Croatian reporters who had arrived in Strasbourg at the invitation of the Council of Europe press service to cover the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly. Fischer said her personal opinion was that Croatia's constructive support to Bosnian elections, normalization of relations with Serbia and Montenegro, passage of an amnesty law, and greater respect for freedom of the media would be crucial for a final positive decision on admission. Commenting on discussions and delays of the final admission of Croatia to the Council of Europe, she said that at this moment attention should not be paid to the beginning of those discussions but to the commitments Croatia had so far fulfilled and guarantees it had provided. Fischer described as very positive the contribution of the Croatian Parliament delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly, which has a special guest status. It was always available to anyone seeking answers to questions about Croatia's accession to the Council of Europe, she added. In Fischer's opinion, the most important decision of this session was the unanimous adoption of a proposal for calling the second meeting of heads of government of Council of Europe member states, which was expected to take place at the end of the next year, most probably in Strasbourg. The first such summit was held in Vienna in 1993. Fischer told Croatian reporters that she would visit Croatia soon. (hina) vm jn 261437 MET sep 96