PRESS CONFERENCE BY CROATIAN PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT IN STRASBOURG

STRASBOURG, Nov 4 (Hina) - President of Croatian Parliament Stipe Mesic held today a press conference in Strasbourg concerning his meeting with the representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Asked about the reason for the meeting, Mesic said that the disputable issues put forth by certain members of the Parliamentary Assembly needed clarifying. Those issues concerned certain steps by Croatian authorities and some events in Herzeg-Bosnia, said Mesic. "In the open discussion, all issues were considered, and many were clarified", Mesic said. He said that he was convinced that a group of the Parliament members who had started the initiative for removing Croatia from the post of special guest in the Parliamentary Assembly, would retreat from that initiative. "After we have explained all disputable issues, we own the belief that there is not a single reason for this not to happen", Mesic asserted. Asked about the concessions Croatia is ready to make concerning the negotiations with the Krajina Serbs, Mesic said that there could always be talks on achieving minority rights, but that Croatia could not give up its sovereignty. The war in Croatia was not conducted for the sake of minority rights, but it was rather an excuse for the conquest of Croatian territories. The blame for the war is now being laid on the victim. "The blame lies on the agressor, Serbia, but also on the silence of the international community in the agression ", said Mesic answering the question on breaking the rights of the Serbian and Italian minority. "The Constitutional Law on minorities secured the minority rights on the highest civilization level", added Mesic. Asked about the existence of Croatian armed forces in B-H, Mesic said that the Bosnians and Herzegovians, who had volonteered in the Croatian Army during the war in Croatia, applied for the HVO and B-H Army units when the war in B-H began. Volunteers from Croatia, and other countries, also set to defend Bosnia, Mesic added. Talking about the freedom of media, Mesic informed that the Privatization of Electronic Media Act is currently being examined by the Parliament. At the end of his stay in Strasbourg, Mesic is expected to meet with the representatives of the Parliament delegation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. (end) j-jt 041414 MET nov 93