STATE ATTORNEY: REQUEST THAT I BE DISMISSED IS ACT BY COMMUNIST AUTHORITY

ZAGREB, Jan 15 (Hina) - The request that I be dismissed is a blatant political act of communist authorities, aimed at purging and liquidating everything that belongs to the Croatian state corps, including me as the last official of the Croatian Democratic Union holding a high post in the judiciary, State Attorney Petar Sale told a news conference in Zagreb on Monday. Following a negative assessment of a report on the work of the State Attorney's Office by the parliament eight months ago, the government last week decided to initiate a procedure for Sale's dismissal and send the parliament a recommendation to that effect. The state attorney believes the government's proposal violates the legal decision under which the government should have discussed the report of the State Attorney's Office first and then send its recommendation to the Sabor. The government's dissatisfaction with the report is not sufficient for my dismissal, he believes. Assessing that the government's intention was to replace all who had advocated the Croatian state long before the Homeland War, he explained the reason for his dismissal was his conflict with the communist authorities in the '70s and the then communist leader Ivica Racan. He accused Racan of being responsible for the political persecution and liquidation of Croat patriots in prisons at the time he came to the head of Croatian communists in 1974. Should the parliament adopt a decision on his dismissal, Sale said he would appeal to the House of Counties. If the upper house accepts the appeal, the government recommendation will be returned to the House of Representatives, which will decide about it in a majority vote. (hina) rml