HHO HOLDS ROUND-TABLE ON PUBLIC CONTROL OVER SECRET SERVICES

ZAGREB, Dec 9 (Hina) - A round-table conference organised by the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) in Zagreb on Monday ended with conclusions about the need for a complete implementation of the Law on Security Services, particularly regarding the appointment of the heads of these services, and the introduction of parliamentary control over their work. #L# Although the said law was described as satisfactory at the conference dubbed "Public Control Over Secret Services", participants criticised the ruling coalition of five parties for failing to introduce supervision of the secret services as it was obliged to do under law, due to disputes among the parties. HHO president Zarko Puhovski warned that Croatia was the only European country which has no control over security services, which could result in party, political control of the services' work, instead of public supervision. He said that due to disagreement in the top echelons of the government, it was still unknown who would head the two of three Croatian intelligence services. He also said that because of the lack of control over the services' work, civil freedoms and human rights were again about to be endangered. A deputy of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in parliament, Nenad Stazic, dismissed the claims of some participants of the conference who said that the government had no control over secret services, but he did confirm that the law on secret services had not been implemented to the full. He holds a former Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS)'s chairwoman of the parliament's National Security Committee, Djurdja Adlesic, responsible. He believes that she had not performed her duties due to the authorities' resistance to the implementation of the law. (hina) lml sb