HDZ SLAMS MESIC'S SPEECH, COMMEND RACAN'S

ZAGREB, Jan 15 (Hina) - Disastrous and entirely misplaced is how Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) president Ivo Sanader described a speech President Stjepan Mesic delivered in the Croatian parliament on Tuesday, strongly criticising the policy of the former authorities. During Mesic's speech, several HDZ deputies left the parliament chamber, embittered by the content of his speech. Sanader told reporters Mesic's speech on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Croatia's recognition by the international community was disastrous. The speech is totally misplaced, Sanader insisted. Diametrically different was his assessment of Prime Minister Ivica Racan's speech, which he welcomed. Racan tried to be objective. Regardless of the fact that we are political opponents, he has given an objective assessment of the former authorities in the most important moments of the creation of the Croatian state, Sanader said. It is shameless to listen to the first man in the country say that on the day of Croatia's recognition, said Zdenka Babic-Petricevic, one of the HDZ deputies who left the parliament chamber during Mesic's address. She added that Mesic was "pathetic". (hina) sb rml