PARL. PRESIDENT: EXTRAORDINARY SESSION TO BE HELD BETWEEN JULY 15, AUG 1

ZAGREB, July 5 (Hina) - The constitutional deadline for the regular session of the parliament is July 15, but there is not doubt that an extraordinary session will be held between July 15 and August 1 at which a vote of confidence in a new government will be held, Croatian Parliament President Zlatko Tomcic said on Friday and added the new government would most definitely be composed by then. #L# In an interview for Croatian Television, Tomcic said that 84 MPs from various parliamentary parties forwarded their signatures to the President's Office, confirming their readiness to support the government of Prime Minister Ivica Racan and asking the President to appoint Racan premier designate. According to Tomcic, this is a good solution. Commenting on the announced consultations among President Mesic, party presidents and presidents of parliamentary benches, which should begin after the weekend, Tomcic said he, as the president of the Croatian Peasants' Party, was invited to the President's Office at noon Monday. He said the consultations would not be complicated considering the fact that a parliamentary majority of 84 MPs had already been formed, because there are 157 MPs in the parliament. Tomcic said that a definite profile of the government and a parliamentary majority would depend on the concept of the new premier designate. Assessing the so far political cooperation between his party and the Social Democrats, Tomcic said both parties were cooperating for a series of years. "I believe that both parties are correct political partners and regardless of great differences in political ideology and philosophy, we manage to cooperate in the country's interest," Tomcic said. (hina) it sb