GREEK AMBASSADOR VISITS CRO HELSINKI COMMITTEE SEAT IN ZAGREB

ZAGREB, July 5 (Hina) - Greek Ambassador to Croatia Constantin Yerocostopoulos on Friday visited the seat of the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) in Zagreb, a HHO statement said. Yerocostopoulos held talks with HHO president Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, Presidency member Jovan Nikolic and Dragutin Hlad from the HHO Office in Zagreb, which focused on the state of human rights and the development of democracy. The Greek Ambassador was interested in HHO's activities and the condition of human rights in Croatia. During the talks special stress was laid on issues relating to the return of displaced persons and refugees and possibilities and importance of return or non-return to their homes. HHO acquainted Yerocostopoulos with their activity related to problems in Croatia's liberated territories. The state of the media, the development of institutional democracy, from the point of view of human rights, were also discussed. Yerocostopoulos fully supported HHO's work and stressed that in western democratic countries such committees were very important in controlling institutions of a democratic society from non- governmental positions. He concluded by saying that his and other western governments followed the development of democracy and human rights in Croatia, as part of Croatia's integration into European institutions. (hina) ha 051814 MET jul 96