COUNCIL OF EUROPE PARLIAMENTARY CHIEF TO VISIT CROATIA IN SPRING

( Editorial: --> 7370 ) STRASBOURG, 26 Jan (Hina) - President of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, Leni Fischer, announced on Monday that she would visit Croatia during spring. Fischer made the announcement after holding talks in Strasbourg with Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Ljerka Mintas-Hodak. I promised a long time ago that I would visit Croatia and I hope that during spring I will find the appropriate date, the Council of Europe parliamentary chief said in a statement after the meeting. Mintas-Hodak, who is on a three-day visit to the Council of Europe, discussed with Fischer the strengthening of Croatia's cooperation with the organisation. "We discussed cooperation on several joint projects, including the area of human rights and democratisation in Europe, especially in the region," the Croatian Deputy Prime Minister said. Before meeting Fischer, Mintas-Hodak met the Council of Europe's director for legal issues, Guy de Vel. (Hina) mm mb 262113 MET jan 98