MESIC, SANADER COMMENT ON HEBRANG'S STATEMENT

ZAGREB, Jan 25(Hina) - After visiting the photo exhibition "Warsaw Ghetto 1943" in the Jewish Community offices in Zagreb on Sunday, President Stjepan Mesic and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader answered reporters' questions on several current political issues, including one on statements made recently by Deputy Prime Minister Andrija Hebrang.#L# The media on Saturday quoted Hebrang as saying in a Thursday talk-show on Nova TV that he objected to President Mesic "having completely devalued the presidential function". The government's public relations office yesterday issued a statement in which Hebrang distanced himself from "the wrong media interpretations of his statement about President Stjepan Mesic", stressing that "there are no and will be no conflicts between the Government and the President's Office". Explaining his statement, Hebrang said that "at the time to which the statement referred, the President of the Republic had to have more powers because the country was going through major changes". "Hebrang and his statements are of no interest to me," President Mesic said today when asked to comment on Hebrang's statement. Prime Minister Sanader said he believed that "the good relations between the Government and the President of the Republic have not been marred" and that with yesterday's statement Hebrang "has considerably corrected the statement carried by the media". (Hina) rml sb