PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON DAYTON ACCORDS

STRASBOURG, Jan 30 (Hina) - The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, on Thursday adopted a resolution on respecting the Dayton Agreements. In the resolution the Parliamentary Assembly requested for the strengthening of the mandate of the international High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Carl Bildt, and for the urgent discussion on Bosnia-Herzegovina's Government's reports on the situation in Mostar. The Parliamentary Assembly decided to urgently start a process of control in Mostar and the Mostar area following latest allegations about Croatia's interference in the area, according to the document. The Parliamentary Assembly voiced satisfaction with progress on the military level in resolving the crisis in Bosnia- Herzegovina, but it stressed that the progress was slower in the areas of human rights' protection, the return of refugees and extradition of war criminals to the International Tribunal for war crimes committed in the area of the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The resolution also contains the Assembly's demand that the process of reconstruction of the Croatian Danubian area should be stepped up and that the return of the displaced people to their homes in the area should be facilitated. The head of the Croatian Parliament's delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Zarko Domljan, said that the resolution on the Dayton Accords indicated that the Council of Europe "sees equally the roles of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in the implementation of them (Dayton Accords)." According to Domljan, the resolution did not equate Zagreb with Belgrade as regards the issue of the media freedom, since the Assembly deplored the pressure the Serbian regime was exerting on independent media. Commenting on the resolution's part referring to the claims that Croatia interfered in the issue of Mostar, Domljan said it was not about the condemnation of Croatia but it was only "demand that the Council of Europe should carry out control and make conclusions." (hina) mm mš 301824 MET jan 97