"The Forum is a civil association set up with the aim of promoting concord, unity, tolerance and dialogue in Croatia. It is neither political party nor has it been based on ideologies, either left or right ones," Rudolf said adding that 12 MPs from various political parties were also received into the membership of the Forum.
He went on to say that after the last parliamentary elections, the Forum proposed to the Sabor to appoint its members -- prominent politicians and public figures -- to various parliamentary committees and working bodies. Of those proposals, Parliament only accepted to nominate Zdravko Tomac and Milan Ramljak as (external) members of the Conflict of Interest Commission, Rudolf said.
The parliament ended its 10th session last Friday with a heated debate on the new appointments to the seven-member Conflict of Interest Commission. Previously, the Sabor relieved Zeljko Horvatic and Petar Marija Redelj of their duties in this parliamentary body. They had been appointed external members from the ranks of prominent public figures. The opposition then fiercely opposed the appointment of Milan Ramljak and Zdravko Tomac as their successors on the commission. Acting chairman chairman Antun Kaprljevic of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) criticised the ruling HDZ party for these appointments, saying ironically that this was actually the body consisting of the members of the HDZ and nonparliamentary Forum of the Croatian Concord (led by Tomac). He then tendered his verbal resignation.