ZAGREB, Sept 24 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) President Ivo Sanader stuck to his assertion that his party was being wire-tapped. During question time in parliament on Wednesday morning, the leader of the strongest
opposition party said that HDZ offices in the parliament building were bugged and that he had obtained the information from the parliament security department.
ZAGREB, Sept 24 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ)
President Ivo Sanader stuck to his assertion that his party was
being wire-tapped. During question time in parliament on Wednesday
morning, the leader of the strongest opposition party said that HDZ
offices in the parliament building were bugged and that he had
obtained the information from the parliament security department.
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Sanader stated this after Premier Ivica Racan described his
previous statements about wire-tapping as lies and part of a dirty
election campaign.
The HDZ chief did not say precisely who had given him the
information about the wire-tapping, but stressed that the
information was reliable.
Expounding his previous claims that the ruling Social Democrat
Party (SDP) and the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) were monitoring
conversations of opposition politicians and journalists, Sanader
asked why eighteen months after the adoption of the law on security
services, a Council for the Civilian Supervision of Secret Services
had not yet been established.
"Only when we have this council will we believe that there will be no
wire-tapping," he said.
Sanader again criticised Premier Racan for being a "poor human
resources manager" when it came to secret services.
He demanded that the government should brief the parliament on the
leaking of information from secret services.
Later on, the head of the HDZ bench, Vladimir Seks, told reporters
in the parliament building that the offices of his party's club had
been wire-tapped.
He said that pieces of bugging devices had been found in the HDZ
offices.
"Following a warning from the Sabor security department that there
was a high probability of the HDZ offices being bugged, we called in
relevant experts who found 'extensions' of bugging devices," Seks
told reporters.
Seks declined to specify when the pieces were discovered and which
experts were engaged, saying that it all happened recently.
Asked why he did not call reporters, Seks retorted that it was up to
the party's leaders to decide when they would call anybody.
Parliament secretary Danica Orcic said it was only now she had heard
of wire-tapping allegations.
"The information deserves attention. When I receive information I
shall take measures to ensure that authorised persons inspect the
HDZ offices," Orcic added.
The head of the parliamentary internal affairs and national
security committee, Ante Markov said it was terrible to assume that
the offices of a club of deputies could be wire-tapped.
Markov called on the HDZ to give evidence of their allegations
rather than "parade their politically motivated assumptions".
Markov believes that the HDZ has no serious election programme and
therefore resorts to ploys to attract attention. He described the
HDZ's wire-tapping allegations as ridiculous and paranoid.
Wednesday's question time was marked with a heated debate on
alleged wiretapping as MPs from ruling and opposition parties
exchanged accusations all morning. Deputies from ruling parties
blamed the HDZ for wiretapping phones of a large number of people
while that party was in power. On the other hand, opposition MPs
accused the incumbent authorities of failing to set up the council
for civilian supervision of secret services and of other
irregularities in this field.
(hina) ms