LOWER HOUSE ENDS DEBATE ON RATIFYING MINORITES RIGHTS' CONVENTION

CONVENTION $ ZAGREB, Sept 17 (Hina) - Croatian House of Representatives ended a discussion on a final bill on ratifying the framework convention for the national minorities' protection on Wednesday afternoon. Before the debate Foreign Minister Mate Granic explained that Croatia was obliged to ratify the convention within a year after the country's admission to the Council of Europe. The document has been signed by 34 countries to date. During the discussion, most of MPs, in particular minorities' deputies, supported the ratification of the convention. They also warned of the difficult position of the Croatian minority in other countries. A deputy, Zarko Domljan, said he had participated in the writing of the convention when he was a member of a Croatian delegation to the Council of Europe. He stressed that in practice minorities in Croatia are granted greater rights than those envisaged by the convention. At the end of the discussion Granic pointed to a lack of care for the protection of rights of the Croatian minority in other states, but added that it should not discourage the parliament in accepting the convention. Commenting on some remarks of MPs, he said that there was pressure aimed on prolongation of the UNTAES mandate in the Croatian Danube river area after 15 January 1998, and added that the Croatian government would firmly oppose such attempts. (hina) jn mš 172034 MET sep 97