LS CHIEF: SDA LEADER ABANDONS DEAL WITH LS UNDER PRESSURE FROM HDZ

ZAGREB, Jan 19 (Hina) - Liberal Party (LS) leader Ivo Banac has said that the president of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and member of parliament representing the Bosniak (Muslim) minority in Croatia, Semso Tankovic, has abandoned agreement he had reached with the LS on the joint LS/SDA club of deputies in the Sabor because of pressure from the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).#L# Banac told a news conference on Monday that Tankovic had explained that "the HDZ exerted pressure on the SDA which had some commitments to the HDZ". "Evidently, the HDZ policy of the treatment of minorities is political control, manipulation and imposing of vassal-like relations on minorities," Banac said adding that responsibility lay with minorities "if they accepted this". Banac added that his message to Tankovic was that "in politics, apart from pragmatism, there are also pledged words, feeling for reality as well as the breach of trust which is punished". The LS chief also expressed his position on statements of Ivan Cehok, the new president of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), who said on Saturday that he "would be more willing to form a coalition with (SDP leader) Racan than with his prosthetic parties". For Banac, those statements indicate that HSLS leaders "have never seriously wanted to see a merger of liberal options". Commenting on returns from Sunday's early elections for the Osijek-Baranja County Assembly, at which the LS won 6.16 percent of the vote and three seats in the assembly, Banac described the LS's results were poorer than expected, but they could serve as a good basis for further activities of the party in eastern Croatia and preparations for next year's local elections. Banac described the turnout of 35 percent as very low. (Hina) ms sb