RACAN SAYS SDP WON'T OBSTRUCT WORK OF HDZ-LED GOVT IN PARLIAMENT

ZAGREB, Dec 22 (Hina) - The president of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Ivica Racan, said on Sunday evening his party had no plans to delay the forming of the new Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)-led government, or obstruct its work in parliament because it was in the interest of the SDP that the transfer of authority be conducted responsibly and as soon as possible.#L# The SDP held a session ahead of Monday's inaugural sitting of the new Croatian parliament. After the session, Racan told reporters a harsher discipline regime would be introduced in the SDP club of deputies, including sanctions against those party deputies who fail to perform their duties in accordance with expectations. "If I can be an ordinary MP after being prime minister then I expect the same from other SDP deputies," Racan said. Asked whether Sunday's failed meeting of opposition representatives on the distribution of leading positions in four parliamentary committees and a third parliament vice president who should come from the opposition ranks, would prolong the forming of the new government, Racan dismissed such a possibility on behalf of the SDP. He said he believed other opposition parties would not delay the forming of the new government either. He stressed the SDP would nominate Mato Arlovic for the vice president of parliament and added the party already had a candidate for the chairman of the Legislation Committee. According to unofficial sources, the SDP would take the final position tomorrow on whether to accept the leading position in the Legislation Committee. Party sources said their candidate for the committee chairman was Josip Leko. Also nominated for this post are outgoing Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic Marinovic and legal expert Ivo Josipovic. (Hina) it