HDZ PRESIDENT: EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY MEDDLING IN JUDICIARY

ZAGREB, April 15 (Hina) - The president of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Ivo Sanader, described yesterday's statements by the interior minister, police director, chief state prosecutor and officials of the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) as "the open meddling of executive authority in the judiciary". #L# "It is impermissible for the interior minister and police director to warn, at a meeting with the chief prosecutor and USKOK leader, both the coalition partners - which could be read between the lines - and their political opponents and the entire Croatian public, that they will now, three and a half years into their term, grapple with illegal acts and crime," said Sanader at today's news conference. According to him, "an atmosphere of pressure and threats has been created, which reminds of the time when the ruling coalition took over power and when Prime Minister Racan himself told an Italian daily that the HDZ was under investigation". The HDZ fully supports respect of a law-based state and the processing of criminals, but opposes violations of the Constitution and the creation of an atmosphere of fear and threats, said Sanader. He urged all democratic forces to show resistance to such violations of the Constitution. The HDZ president expressed satisfaction with yesterday's decision of the European Union's Council of Ministers to forward Croatia's application for EU membership to the European Commission. Sanader said he would forward a letter to the director of the Croatian Radio and Television (HRT), Mirko Galic, requesting the introduction of monitoring over programmes, not, as he said, because the electoral campaign had begun, but because of democracy in Croatia. The HRT is functioning as a bulletin for the ruling coalition, primarily for the Social Democrats and the Croatian People's Party, he said. (hina) lml