CROATIA IS ON WAY TO BE ADMITTED TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE - LINDEN

ZAGREB, Mar 1 (Hina) - Croatia is ready to be admitted into the Coucil of Europe, said a rapporteur to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Pierre van der Linden, upon leaving Croatia on Friday after a three-day visit. The situation was not yet ideal, but Croatia was on its way to meet the basic demands for admission, Linden said after talks with a Croatian Parliament delegation. He stressed that the decision did not depend just on his view of the situation The Council of Europe Committee for Political Issues and the Committee for Legal and Human Rights Issues were to discuss Croatia's admittance into the Council of Europe on Monday and Tuesday in Paris, Linden announced. Croatian representatives have also been invited to the talks. On 19 March it would be disclosed whether the issue would be put on the agenda of the April session, Linden said. He said the situation in eastern Slavonia was the main point of interest and described it as the most vulnerable part of the general peace agreement in the region. During talks with Croatian parliamentarians, Linden voiced great interest for speeding up the return of Serbs who had been driven out of Croatia during Croatian military operations "Flash" and "Storm". He also said he was concerned that pressure put on Belgrade to normalize relations with Zagreb would be reduced if the European Union recognized Yugoslavia before Yugoslavia recognises Croatia. Linden stressed that the Council of Europe would carefully observe Croatian relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina. He also showed great interest in local elections in Zagreb, expressing dissagreement with the current crisis in the local self-government. Linden also stressed the importance of Croatia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal and the need for promoting the freedom of the media. (hina) lm mm 011848 MET mar 96