ZAGREB, Oct 18 (Hina) - President Stjepan Mesic said on Saturday he would call parliamentary elections on Monday and appeal to citizens to go to the polls.
ZAGREB, Oct 18 (Hina) - President Stjepan Mesic said on Saturday he
would call parliamentary elections on Monday and appeal to citizens
to go to the polls. #L#
If citizens want to decide on the government that will be in power
over the next four years, they must elect a government that our
people deserve, the president said in his office after talking to a
group of citizens.
Asked to comment on the statement of parliament president Zlatko
Tomcic, that he will ask for the position of parliament president to
be redefined in order to expand his powers and equate his influence
with that of president of the republic and prime minister, Mesic
said that "many would like to be the president -- all they have to do
is run for the office."
"The parliament president is first among equals. He personally does
not have any authority other than running the parliament, but as
first among equals," he added.
Commenting on Friday's decision by the parliament to commit the
government to providing all persons indicted or suspected by the
Hague tribunal and their defence counsel with legal assistance and
access to documents necessary for defence, which prompted the
resignation of Goran Granic as president of the council for
cooperation with the tribunal, Mesic said that "there is a
technology of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal which is based on
the (Croatian) law on cooperation with the tribunal and the statute
and rules of the tribunal."
"If the Hague tribunal allows for documents to be given also to
attorneys who have not verified their relationship with the accused
(through the tribunal), then this decision will certainly be
implemented. But if it doesn't, then things may become
complicated," the president said.
Speaking of cooperation with the tribunal, Mesic said that Croatia
was meeting its commitments.
"We are implementing the constitutional law on cooperation with the
Hague tribunal; all our citizens who were summoned as witnesses
responded to the summons; we have delivered all documents requested
by the office of the prosecutor and the tribunal; and we have a
technology of cooperation that goes through the Office for
Cooperation," Mesic said.
"General Ante Gotovina has not responded and is beyond the reach of
Croatian authorities. We have information that General Gotovina is
not in Croatia. There are doubts, indications, but the intelligence
services and police checked them all and did not find a single lead
to General Gotovina's whereabouts," he added.
Mesic reiterated that it would be better for Gotovina to approach
the tribunal by himself.
Asked why he had requested a meeting with representatives of the
main opposition party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), and
what they had talked about, Mesic said that he wanted to make sure
that elections were conducted according to law, with parties
proposing their platforms and projects.
"In this respect, my office is open to all talks with party leaders.
Several parties have taken this opportunity to discuss these topics
with me, and among them were the three officials from the HDZ,
president Ivo Sanader, Vladimir Seks and Miomil Zuzul," Mesic
said.
(hina) vm sb