GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS BILL WHICH KEEPS MILITARY OUT OF POLITICS

ZAGREB, March 7 (Hina) - The government has proposed a bill which would keep the military out of politics. The bill prohibits all political activity, including establishing parties, holding political conferences and staging protests, by active military personnel, officials and employees of the armed forces. The government supports the bill despite earlier objections by some opposition MPs, who said it violates the constitutional rights of one category of citizen. One article of the bill which regulates the status, rights and obligations of armed forces' members, prohibits active military persons, officials and employees from running in state or local elections. The bill includes sexual harassment as an explicit reason for disciplinary action, a reflection of a recent scandal at the Bjelovar barracks which involved the sexual harassment of female employees. Intimidation based on sex, religion or national background is also subject to disciplinary action. The government also forwarded to the parliament a final law on production, overhaul and transport of arms and military equipment (NVO). The law would establish a special government agency to supervise production for the needs of export, NVO import and export, and manage a unified data base on exported and imported NVO. NVO should, as a rule, be purchased from domestic producers for the Interior and Defence ministries. Purchases from abroad would be governed by the offset programme, which makes a purchase from foreigners conditional on their purchase of Croatian products. (hina) np sb