MESIC HOLDS LECTURE ABOUT RULE OF LAW IN TRANSITIONAL COUNTRIES

BUCHAREST, Sept 12 (Hina) - The rule of law is the fundamental condition which should be fulfilled to ensure that democracy become a way of life, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said at Bucharest's NATO House on Thursday in his lecture entitled "Rule of Law as Condition for Development of Democracy in Countries in Transition". #L# Only citizens with equal rights can participate in and create a democratic system in which decisions about their own lives and the development of their country would depend on themselves, Mesic said in his lecture held in front of representatives of the Romanian government, the diplomatic corps and Romanian non-governmental organisations. "They will be able to accomplish this only when all will be equal before the law and when all laws are applicable at any time and to every one of them. That is the rule of law, and the country in which it is secured is a law-based state," Mesic said. On their way to democracy, transitional countries bear the burden of mentality acquired during the decades of autocratic communist rule, for which it is characteristic that authority is connected with privileges, and the means for obtaining the privileges is connected to corruption, he said. Of course, he added, crime, corruption and privileges occur in all countries, even in those which boast a long tradition of democracy. There is, however, an important difference, Mesic said. "In established democracies, such occurrences are incidents which are sanctioned. Transitional countries are inclined to either accept or tolerate crime, corruption and privileges as an expression of politics. And in this I see a serious threat to democracy for which we have all opted," he said. In order to avoid this danger, the creation of the rule of law is an absolutely necessary condition for building democracy. Apart from adjusting the legislature of transitional countries, the mentality of citizens should also change, that is, teach all people from the top to the foundations of the state and social pyramid to think in a democratic way, the Croatian president said. "I believe that in the phase of transition, democratic countries have the opportunity, and sometimes an obligation, to resort even to pressure to create a situation in which democratic thinking will not be a platitude, but everyday practice." "As regards Croatia, I must state quite openly that in the first ten years of its independent existence, it was neither a truly pluralistic, nor a law-based state. The scene showed a multi-party system, but all decisions were made by the will of one party and its leader, while laws were applied selectively," Mesic said, adding that since parliamentary and presidential elections in 2000, the authorities have been working on changing this. "Some of you may be surprised that I am stating such assessments about a country of which I am the president. I am, however, firmly convinced that we must have the courage to face the truth about the past so we may be able to clear the paths to the future. Croatia as it is today is on the right path. It is true that results are achieved slowly, but the path on which we are is clear, and so is our orientation. We know that without the rule of law we will not be attractive for foreign investors. We also know that without a law- based state we cannot consolidate the foundations of democracy, and without a democracy shaped in accordance with European standards, we will remain in a waiting room in front of doors to the European Union barely ajar," Mesic said. For about forty minutes after his lecture, the Croatian president answered questions about Croatia's political and economic past and present, the protection of national minorities, the struggle against terrorism and NATO's expansion. (hina) lml