LIBERAL PARTY HOLDING ASSEMBLY TO ELECT NEW PRESIDENT

ZAGREB, Jan 25 (Hina) - The Liberal Party (LS) began its third electoral assembly in Zagreb on Saturday by marking the fifth anniversary of its establishment by author and politician Vlado Gotovac. The assembly will elect a new president among incumbent Zlatko Kramaric, Bozo Kovacevic and Ivo Banac. #L# "Even though the LS is only five years old, the values we have inherited are much older," said Kramaric, asking how the history of democratic, civic Croatia could be conceived without Gotovac, Kovacevic, and Velimir Terzic who, together with Slavko Goldstein and Franjo Zenko, he said significantly influenced the creation of a liberal-democratic climate. The LS assembly was greeted by numerous guests -- presidential envoy Igor Dekanic, Vesna Pusic of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), Gordana Sobol of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Zrinka Glovacki Bernardi of Libra, Hrvoje Zoric of the Social Liberals, Damir Novotny of the Croatian Peasants' Party, Emil Soldatic of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), Ivan Jarnjak of the Croatian Democratic Union, Radovak Fuks of the Democratic Centre, Zlatko Klaric of the Social Democratic Action of Croatia, Vladimir Jordan of the Croatian Party of Pensioners, Milorad Pupovac of the Serb People's Council, and Semso Tankovic of the Party of Democratic Action. Representatives of the diplomatic corps, unions, and the Iskorak homosexual association, Budapest mayor Gabor Demszky, and the vice president of the Citizens' Alliance of Serbia, Sandor Melenk, were also in attendance. Speaking about the party's work in the past two years, between election assemblies, Kramaric said the LS had opted for the creation of a strong liberal alternative in response to the damaging and unacceptable bipolarity on the political scene. The LS maintains programme coalitions are necessary and to that end has initiated official talks with the HNS, the IDS, and the SDP, said Kramaric, adding only the latter had not yet answered. He cautioned that apathy ruled in some local communities and said the only way to overcome that was to win the elections. There are still "liberal enclaves" which will ensure that the LS wins at the next polls, he said. Kramaric's address was commended, but there was also criticism that the LS was neglected and in need of a better organisation and activating the branch network. There were also assessments that the party had turned to the right and calls for returning to the electoral principles of Gotovac's liberalism. (hina) ha sb