HAGUE TRIBUNAL INDICTMENTS CAN BE CHALLENGED ONLY AT HAGUE - RACAN

ZAGREB, March 8 (Hina) - The leaders of parliamentary parties agreed at today's meeting with Prime Minister Ivo Sanader that indictments from the U.N. war crimes tribunal could be challenged only in The Hague, Social Democratic Party president Ivica Racan said on Monday, stressing that with regard to the latest indictments the government should have acted more fairly towards the parliament and citizens.#L# Racan confirmed that for the time being parliament would not discuss the latest indictments, which the opposition requested last week, but that parliament's presidency would convene next Monday for a meeting to include the leaders of parties and deputies' clubs. "We'll see after that if a wider meeting is necessary," he said. Racan added that the participants in today's meeting agreed there was no alternative to cooperation with the Hague tribunal if one wanted to protect national interests. The government, which advocates full cooperation with the tribunal, deserves support, he said, calling on all political options, including the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, to support the government instead of accusing it of treason. Racan went on to say Croatia needed to cooperate with the Hague tribunal because of itself, so as not to be hostage to unresolved relations, and in order to meet the European Union's political terms. Racan said nobody at today's meeting disputed the need to cooperate with the Hague tribunal. He added they were not shown the indictments but were only tersely briefed about their contents, and said allegations of indictments relating to Bosnia-Herzegovina were not addressed. Racan did not give a direct reply to the question whether the Sanader Cabinet had an answer to allegations that a criminal enterprise was mentioned in the latest indictments from the Hague tribunal in connection with ethnic cleansing in the so-called Krajina region. (Hina) ha sb