SPLIT: "ALLIANCE FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE - VOICE OF MAN" FOUNDED

SPLIT, April 5 (Hina) - Father Ivan Grubisic, a founder of the "Alliance for Peace and Justice - Voice of Man", was elected the alliance's president at its founding assembly in Split on Saturday. #L# Grubisic's partner in the project, academician Ivan Supek, did not attend today's session although he was expected to show up. A letter by Supek, in which he apologised for his non-attendance, which was caused by his busy schedule, was read out at the beginning of the session. "We want to establish the Alliance to counterbalance two predominant options, headed by the SDP and the HDZ, and offer Croatia an alternative," said one of the project's founders, Veljko Barbijeri. The Alliance will not become a party but will gather forces and parties with similar programmes and in that way participate in elections, he said. The Alliance "gives people hope again and offers an alternative to party politics," Gurbisic said. The Alliance will advocate "just laws, the revoking of anti-constitutional and illegal privileges, the direct election of local officials and parliamentary deputies, the decentralisation of administration, the rehabilitation of politics and media independence", he said. "Independent rosters will be our alternative and we will support other independent rosters which endorse our principles," Grubisic said. Commenting on the Alliance's recent founding assembly in Zagreb, which he called "coup d'etat-like" in some press interviews, Grubisic said nobody had the monopoly on democracy, including parties trying to sabotage the alliance's political work. "Today's founding assembly in Split has shown that most members are on our side and accept my leadership and the leadership of academician Ivan Supek," he said. There is no hidden meaning in Supek's non-attendance at today's assembly, Grubisic said answering a reporter's question, and added that he and Supek agreed on all relevant principles and supported one another. (hina) rml sb