$ NISTERS STRASBOURG, 7 Nov (Hina) - Croatia will continue its efforts in strengthening democratic security and stability in Europe, the Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said on Thursday, addressing today's session of the Council
of Europe Committee of Ministers.
MI
$ NISTERS
STRASBOURG, 7 Nov (Hina) - Croatia will continue its efforts in
strengthening democratic security and stability in Europe, the
Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said on Thursday, addressing
today's session of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.
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Today's session of the Committee of Ministers is focused on
democratic security in Europe following the enlargement of the
Council of Europe.
'It is our belief that Croatia has shown, through reaching
Agreements on the Protection of Minorities with its neighbours
Hungary and Italy respectively, as well as through signing the
Agreement on Normalisation of Relations with Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, and above all, in signing the European Convention on
Human Rights with its most important protocols and the Framework
Convention on the Protection of Minorities, its firm commitment to
adhere to fundamental democratic principles', Granic said.
The practical implementation of such treaties and agreements
was even more important, and in that respect Croatia had
established the working Group on the Examination of the
Compatibility of the National Legislation with the European
Convention on Human Rights and Strasbourg bodies, and the Working
Group on the Revision of the Constitutional Law on Human Rights and
Freedoms and Rights of Ethnic and National Communities or
Minorities, Croatia's Foreign Minister said.
Granic said he believed that through the implementation of the
documents his country had signed to date, as well as those
envisaged for signature in the forthcoming months, Croatia had laid
the foundations for its further advancement in the process of
European integration from the political, economic and security
points of view.
'....together with the strengthening of democracy, the time
has come where emphasis should be placed on reconstruction and
redevelopment, which we see as fundamental prerequisites for
stability and security in the region', Granic said, stressing
Croatia's intention to join the Social Development Fund.
'We also appreciate the Council of Europe contribution to the
peaceful reintegration of its remaining occupied territories in the
Croatian Danubian Area. Croatia is determined to see a peaceful end
of this process, thus contributing to the establishment of a
welcome long term peace in the region as a whole.'
Granic also stressed Croatia's active role in seeking a final
resolution of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, adding
Croatia would continue to fully support the Dayton peace agreement
in order to achieve a just resolution for all of the parties.
Speaking about the second meeting of state and government
heads of the Council of Europe member states, Granic said that the
summit should give the Council of Europe's activities and projects
the desired political dimension needed to face its new challenges.
(hina) rm jn
071140 MET nov 96