GOVT:STATE ATTORNEY'S DISMISSAL HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICAL ACT

ZAGREB, Jan 15 (Hina) - Commenting on today's press conference by State Attorney Petar Sale, the government said on Monday Sale's "defamation and slander" were so untrue and irrational that they did not deserve a particular comment. The government last week initiated Sale's dismissal, forwarding a motion to parliament's House of Representatives to relieve him of duty. The state attorney today said the demand for his dismissal was "a blatant political act of communist authorities, aimed at purging and liquidating everything that belongs to the Croatian state corps" and himself "as the last official of the (formerly ruling) Croatian Democratic Union holding a high post in the judiciary." In today's statement, the government said that even if it had initiated Sale's dismissal immediately after a report on his performance was given a negative assessment last May 19, "it would have nothing to do with a political act, but a regular procedure envisaged in the Law on the State Attorney's Office adopted in 1995." According to the government, after such an assessment of his performance, every responsible and honourable man working for a state body would request of his own to be relieved of duty. The government not only respected democratic procedure, but followed Sale's work for eight months after the negative assessment, during which time he showed no positive steps forward, which prompted the government to initiate his dismissal, said the statement. The evaluation of the state attorney's performance is given by the government, which can propose that he be relieved of duty if it assesses his performance as poor. (hina) ha