Slovene Ombudsman Ivan Bizjak met Wednesday with his Croatian counterpart Ante Klaric, who is paying a one-day working visit to Slovenia. The Slovene ombudsman briefed Klaric about the activities of his office and some problems he faces in carrying out the tasks of an ombudsman. Bizjak focussed on time-consuming court proceedings and other administrative procedures, Bizjak's Office said. The Croatian ombudsman called for closer cooperation between both offices, which share similar experiences as well as
problems.

The Croatian ombudsman pointed to a number of violations of human rights in Croatia which result from the war. Some of them will require a lot of time before they are completely dealt with. Both ombudsmen said it was of utmost importance to exchange opinions and experiences in order to enhance the work of both institutions. Bizjak explained that his Croatian counterpart was updated on the role of the Slovene ombudsman and the Slovene system as well as on the relations between ombudsman and parliament. At the Constitutional Court the respect of human rights by way of legislation and constitutional court rulings was discussed.

Discussing back court cases, the Slovene and Croatian ombudsmen said the Croatian courts face nearly a million unresolved cases, but the figure is 500,000 for Slovenia. Croatian Ombudsman Klaric also met with Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Andrej Gerencer, Chairman of the parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs Darja Lavtizar Bebler, Constitutional Court President France Testen and President of the Supreme Court Mitja Deisinger.

Bizjak and Klaric visited the Slovene Press Agency and spoke with STA Director Tadej Labernik and Editor in Chief Zeljka Zagorac