ZAGREB, Dec 2 (Hina) - Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) leader Anto Djapic said on Tuesday the president of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and likeliest primer-designate, Ivo Sanader, did not contact him despite announcements
yesterday that negotiations on the HSP's participation in the new government would resume.
ZAGREB, Dec 2 (Hina) - Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) leader Anto
Djapic said on Tuesday the president of the Croatian Democratic
Union (HDZ) and likeliest primer-designate, Ivo Sanader, did not
contact him despite announcements yesterday that negotiations on
the HSP's participation in the new government would resume. #L#
Djapic told reporters the HSP would accept the invitation to resume
the negotiations but voiced doubt it would be made. He estimated
Sanader had enough support to form a majority government.
Djapic said the Croatian Peasant Party's (HSS) decision to support
Sanader's cabinet but not be part of it was expected.
He said that in attempts to form a majority government with the
parties which lost at the Nov. 23 parliamentary election, the HDZ
had betrayed the pre-election agreement among the former
opposition, and that the way Sanader had begun did not guarantee
that his government would be successful.
Djapic announced the HSP would not support Sanader's cabinet.
He said a special war was being waged against the HSP through
insinuations about the party's right-wing radicalism and fake
letters accusing it of blackmailing Sanader.
Djapic refuted allegations in Nacional weekly that there was a
section of the HSP which wanted to replace him as party president.
"The HSP has never been stronger or more united".
Reporters were shown the party's reply to European Union
ambassadors who said on Thursday it would be unacceptable if the HSP
was part of the new government.
Djapic stressed the European ambassadors did not criticise the HSP
for right-wing radicalism, "as the HDZ and part of the HNS (Croatian
People's Party) are trying to insinuate". They object to the
party's position that Croatia should join the EU only when that
becomes its interest, that real estate should not be sold to
foreigners, and to its treatment of ethnic minorities, to which the
HSP would give cultural autonomy, he said.
Independent MP Slaven Letica, who entered parliament on an HSP
slate, said the European ambassadors were insufficiently
acquainted with the party's platform. Their position directly
infringes the principle under which they must not interfere with
sovereign countries' home affairs, he said.
(hina) ha