CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS RELEASE ON ADMISSION TO C.E.

ZAGREB, Oct 16 (Hina) - The Ministerial Committee of the Council of Europe, at the level of ministers' envoys, has decided today to invite the Republic of Croatia to join, as of 6 November 1996 at 12.00 hours, the full membership of the Council of Europe as the fortieth member. This confirms the positive recommendation by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe dated 24 April 1996 and the resolution by the Ministerial Committee dated 2 July 1996, the Croatian Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday. During the accession process the Republic of Croatia, with its "special guest" status, has developed a broad and comprehensive cooperation within permanent and ad hoc bodies of the Council of Europe. To speed up this process, the Croatian Government set up a Working Group with the task to adjust the Croatian legislation with the European Convention on Human Rights. The result of it is a successful adaptation to the CE requirements. Following Croatia's admission to the Council of Europe, further intensified cooperation is expected at all levels within established commissions and committees along with continued monitoring in compliance with mechanisms defined for all CE member states. Upon joining the full membership of the Council of Europe, the Republic of Croatia will simultaneously sign the mandatory European Convention on Human Rights and the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities, so far signed by rather few CE member states, and the European Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, as well as recognize the right of every individual to address the European Commission and accept the mandatory jurisdiction of the European Court. Having asserted itself as a Central European and Mediterranean country which has set the European integrations as its strategic priority, the Republic of Croatia, through its accession to this oldest European integration, has made the first important step forward. The Republic of Croatia firmly believes that this will accelerate its admission to other Euro-Atlantic integrations and stresses the need to renew the procedure of signing the already adjusted Cooperation Agreement with the EU, the Agreement on Associated EU Membership, as well as to join the Partnership for Peace programme. This act has confirmed the necessity of approaching the European integration on an individual basis in accordance with the achieved degree of rapprochement of each country to an integration. The admission to full membership of the Council of Europe confirms Croatia's commitment to strengthen its democracy and the rule of law and to fully protect human rights, which, inter alia, will speed up the process of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian Area. It also consolidates and strengthens the international position of the Republic of Croatia and gives credit for its active contribution to the implementation of the Dayton peace accords and to the efforts aimed at stabilizing the situation in the region, the Foreign Ministry said. (hina) vm 161552 MET oct 96