Mr. Vladan Batic, Ph. D., both the Constitutional Commission President and the Basic Issues and Coordination Sub-Committee Chairman, Mr. Nenad Canak, the Territorial Organization Sub-Committee Chairman, and Mr. Rodoljub Sabic, the Human Rights Sub-Committee Chairman, held today the Press Conference dedicated to the work on making up of the new Constitution of Serbia.

Mr. Vladan Batic, Ph. D., informed journalists that the Constitutional Commission has held 8 sessions, the Basic Issues and Coordination Sub-Committee 19 sessions, the Territorial Organization Sub-Committee 8 sessions and the Human Rights Sub-Committee 6 sessions so far. He emphasized the fact that the Constitution convenient to Serbia and all its citizens was the task to which the Constitutional Commission members were dedicated, as well as to realization of as high degree of political consensus as possible. Mr. Vladan Batic, Ph. D., highlighted the fact that the most of sub-committees' work have been finished, so the completion of the Working Version of the Constitution could be expected as soon as in the early September. This Version, transformed into the Draft Constitution, will be forwarded to a public hearing, after which it will be, as the Proposal, handed over to the National Assembly to be adopted not later than at the end of this year. The Referendum will be held on Sretenje, February 15, 2004.

Mr. Rodoljub Sabic emphasized that the opposition parties' representatives greatly contributed to the Human Rights Sub-Committee work, as well as that the consensus on majority of issues has been made. Alternatives to some solutions will be delivered to the Constitutional Commission to be decided upon.

Mr. Nenad Canak informed media representatives on the fact that there were different positions within the Territorial Organization Sub-Committee work, as well as that the Sub-Committee adopted principles on which the territorial organization of the Republic will be regulated in order to get as high degree of decentralization as possible realized, as well as in order to make the state administration closer to citizens, verifiable and effective. The Sub-Committee will put forward to the Constitutional Commission the the Spanish Constitution solution, according to which federalization of autonomous provinces is not permitted.