CROATIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION MEETS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE

OF PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE STRASBOURG, Nov 4 (Hina) - The Croatian Parliamentary delegation led by President of the Parliament Stipe Mesic met Wednesday evening with President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Miguel Angel Martinez and with members of the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The talks focused on issues on human rights in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and on possibilities that the Croatian Parliament could influence on the resolution of the issues. After the talks, Martinez said that that the meeting was held in order to discuss a number of the issuses because of which some members of the Assembly expressed serious concern. Those issues included human rights in Croatia, the issue on media (TV), the problems of national minorities and the right of occupancy, said Martinez. In connection with some data which members of the Assembly collected, the Croatian delegation give an explanation to some allegations and some denied. "Our friends clearly said that some information could be untrue or exaggerated," said Martinez. Members of the Croatian delegation said that there were strong reasons for concern in same cases but they also said that the Croatin Parliament made efforts to find a positive solution of some disturbing problems, mentioned Martinez. Estimating the meeting as very sincere, Martinez said that it was obvious that the mutual aim of members of the Croatian Parliament was to promote democracy and human rights in Croatia. The talks also focused on activities of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina and on the type of Croatia's responsibility in those activities. We have been discussing what type of influence Croatia can exert on the Croat population in Bosnia-Herzegovina, who "behaved in disturbing number of cases in the way which deserves our strong criticisms," said Martinez. He added that serious objections were raised against Croatia. In the end of the talks he expressed hope that that the Croatian Parliament "can perform a more influential role in finding the resolution of the problems which endanger the democratic process in Croatia". According to President of the Parliament Stipe Mesic, the Croatian delegation openly said that Croatia had particular influence on the official authorities in Herzeg-Bosnia. The delegation also said that Croatia had no influence on the groups which were out of control of the Herzeg-Bosnia's official authorities. We declared ourselves against every crime, said Mesic adding that "the Parliament will insist on finding the performers." The President of the Parliament announced that the Croatian Parliamentary delegation would soon visit Bosnia-Herzegovina in order to examine the honoring of human rights there. (END) ks 041225 MET nov 93