HSP ACCUSES 2 OFFICIALS OF UNDERMINING HOMELAND WAR VALUES, PUPOVAC SLAMS HSP

ZAGREB, April 21 (Hina) - Milorad Pupovac, a parliamentary deputy from the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), on Wednesday condemned the behaviour of two MPs from the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) who earlier in the day accused Assistant Culture Minister Cedomir Visnjic and a State Secretary in the Science Ministry, Slobodan Uzelac, of undermining Homeland Defence War values.#L# During question time in the Sabor on Wednesday morning, HSP MP Pejo Trgovcevic said Visnjic was the editor and Uzelac the publisher of a book written by Nebojsa Devetak on Croatian soldiers' crimes in the area of Banovina (Banija) during the Homeland War. In this context, the HSP deputy asked Prime Minister Ivo Sanader how he intended to protect the values of the Homeland Defence War in light of the fact that Uzelac and Visnjic held senior executive posts. After that, HSP parliamentarians called a press conference at which they stated that the appointment of Serbs in the executive authorities was the price of the European Commission's positive opinion on Croatia's European Union membership application. "The incumbent government includes representatives who at one time acted from ideological, propaganda positions which were in opposition to the parliament's Declaration on the Homeland Defence War," HSP leader Anto Djapic said. SDSS representative Pupovac held a separate news conference to respond to the accusations from the HSP. Pupovac told reporters that he did not know what Devetak had done during the war but that the statements of the HSP leaders indicated that "it is evident that in Croatia there are parties and political groups which cannot accept the fact that Serbs are taking part in the government". (Hina) ms