GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTRY, US CONGRESS COMMITTEE ON MEDIA FREEDOM IN

IN $ CROATIA ZAGREB, Nov 22 (Hina) - The German Foreign Ministry has expressed concern over a Croatian Telecommunications Council decision not to grant a broadcasting licence to the Zagreb-based 101 radio, the German embassy in Zagreb said on Friday. At the occasion of its accession to the Council of Europe, Croatia had reiterated its commitment to pluralism and freedom of the media as the mainstays of a democratic society, the statement said. Radio 101 had given a voice to these principles which the Croatian people did not want to lose, as was evident from the impressive public expressions of sympathy, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. A statement released in Washington by the U.S. Congressional Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitors implementation of the Helsinki accords, also voiced concern over this decision. "We find Croatia's current human rights course to be very disturbing," the committee said. (hina) jn as 221259 MET nov 96