HSLS SENDS SABOR INTERPELLATION REQUEST IN GOTOVINA CASE

ZAGREB, May 15 (Hina) - Josko Kontic, a vice-president of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), on Thursday forwarded into parliamentary procedure a request signed by 55 MPs urging the interpellation of the government's activities in the case of General Ante Gotovina, a runaway indictee of the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague. #L# The HSLS's initiative was signed by members of the opposition Croatian Democratic Union, Croatian Party of Rights, Democratic Centre, Croatian Bloc, Croatian Christian Democratic Union and independent deputies as well as a deputy of the Istrian Democratic Assembly. Kontic told Hina the government was requested to provide documents related to the Gotovina case to the general's attorneys. He said the request should be discussed at the next parliamentary sitting. Interpellation is a stronger parliamentary instrument which opens the possibility for the parliament to vote, at the end of a debate about a certain topic and if so decided by the parliamentary majority, on confidence in the government. Kontic expects that the government will voice its stand on the request within eight days and hopes that most deputies will support the request that the government be bound by a parliamentary conclusion to urgently forward the requested documents to Gotovina's attorneys. (hina) rml sb