ZUZUL'S ADDRESS TO UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IN GENEVA

GENEVA, Feb 8 (Hina) - Croatian Ambassador Miomir Zuzul yesterday addressed the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. Speaking about the status of international human rights conventions, Zuzul disagreed with the views on the succession of former Yugoslavia outlined in a document prepared by UN Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for this session. The document refers to (the new) Yugoslavia as a signatory of international human rights conventions, which former Yugoslavia had joined in 1971. It was Croatia's view, shared by Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia, that such an approach was politically and legally unjustified and unacceptable, Zuzul said. He invoked the Conclusions of the Badinter Commission, the arbitration body on the succession of former Yugoslavia, which was set up in 1991. The Badinter Commission concluded that Yugoslavia had ceased to exist and that Serbia and Montenegro were not the only successors of former Yugoslavia. All the states emerging from former Yugoslavia were equal successors to rights, property and liabilities of the former Federation. The Commission also established that none of the newly-created states could automatically inherit the membership in international organisations and agreements signed by former Yugoslavia, Zzuzul stressed. (hina) as sd 081105 MET feb 95