CROATIAN PARLIAMENT ENDS SESSION DUE TO EXCESS BY MP

ZAGREB, April 2 (Hina) - Croatian parliament vice-president Baltazar Jalsovec (Libra party), who chaired Wednesday afternoon's sitting, adjourned the session because independent MP Ivo Loncar did not allow it to continue until parliament president Zlatko Tomcic apologises to him. #L# MP Luka Trconic tried to resolve a dispute which arose in the morning hours of the session between Tomcic, who chaired that part of the session, and Loncar. On behalf of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) Trconic proposed that the dispute about who was violating the Rule Book be solved by the Committee on the Constitution, Rule Book and Political System in the next 24 hours, and that the sitting continue. But, Loncar shouted from his seat that he would not allow the session to continue until Tomcic apologised to him for, as he said, "bullying and primitivism", and continuous violation of the Rule Book. "If Tomcic violates the Rule Book, so will I! The only thing you can do is to shoot me, but I will not allow the sitting to continue," Loncar screamed. Jalsovec advised him to speak to Tomcic at the beginning of tomorrow's session, to which Loncar shouted, "I am prepared to die here, but the session will not resume!". Jalsovec then adjourned the session until tomorrow morning. The cause of the incident was Tomcic's attempt of this morning to convince Croatian Democratic Party's (HDZ) deputy Ljubo Cesic Rojs that he would be violating the Rule Book by speaking about a subject not in the agenda. Cesic had said he wanted to inform Tomcic about an alleged "threat to Croatia from Republika Srpska intelligence services", to which Tomcic replied that he could inform him later. Loncar joined in the argument saying that Tomcic had ruled Cesic out of order unfairly and that it was Tomcic who was violating the Rule Book. The debate between Tomcic and Loncar about who was violating the Rule Book ended by Tomcic ruling Loncar out of order and then ordered him out of the chamber. (hina) lml sb