SDSS: ISSUES OF SERBS MUST BE SOLVED THROUGH STATE AUTHORITY

VUKOVAR, Nov 25 (Hina) - The leader of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) and one of the newly-elected Serb minority representatives in the Croatian parliament, Vojislav Stanimirovic, said on Tuesday the SDSS "wants to solve the problems of the Serb minority through state authorities, which is possible only if it is not opposed to the new government, be it left or right". #L# "This is not about forming a coalition with the left or the right, or about the wish of the Serbs to directly take part in governance, but about the need for Serb representatives to be compatible with the new government, so that it could solve our problems," Stanimirovic said at a news conference in Vukovar. Commenting on a statement he gave yesterday to the Belgrade-based radio station B92, which was also carried by the Croatian media, Stanimirovic said that "the Serbs would again make a mistake if they chose to be in opposition to any government". If that happened, their agony would continue, as the new authorities would shift the problems of the Serb community to the opposition, which would not be able to solve them, he said. The SDSS leader told radio B92, among other things, that the Ivica Racan government did not demonstrate readiness to efficiently solve the problems of Croatian Serbs, and that there was a possibility that Serb minority representatives in the new parliament would support the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). He estimated that "the two opposed coalitions in Croatia are identical when it comes to Serb interests, but the Serbs' support to the HDZ would have some advantages". The SDSS won three seats in parliament in Sunday's elections. (hina) rml sb