FORUM ON CROATIAN MINORITIES TAKES PLACE IN ZAGREB

ZAGREB, Dec 7 (Hina) - A Forum of Croatian Minorities, a forum about the problems of Croatian autochthonous minorities in Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, took place in Zagreb on Saturday under the organization of the Croatian Migrant Affairs Council. The forum focused on minority rights and their implementation, education, assimilation process, freedom of the media, cooperation with the home country of Croatia and the role of the Church. #L# The meeting was opened by head of the Migrant Affairs Council Department for Croatian minorities, Hrvoje Salopek. Addressing the participants, Assistant Foreign Minister Jaksa Muljacic stressed that in its Constitution, Croatia had a regulation for care for the Croatian national minority. He said that so far, Croatia had signed agreements about the protection of minorities with Hungary and Italy. The agreement was offered to FRY, who had failed to convey its views about it, Muljacic said. Head of the Croatian Foreign Ministry Department of Minority and Emigration, Jasmina Kovacevic-Cavlovic cited information about regulations which concern the protection of national minorities in neighbouring countries. She especially stressed the difficult situation of Croatians in FRY whose minority status was not recognized. Present at the forum were representatives of the Croatian Parliament, Foreign Ministry, Culture Ministry, Education Ministry, Croatian Cultural Society, Migration and Nationality Institute, Croatian World Congress and Migrant Affairs Council 071354 MET dec 96