LOWER HOUSE BEGINS DEBATE ON NEW CONCLUSIONS ON NORAC CASE

ZAGREB, Feb 15 (Hina) - Parliament's House of Representatives resumed its tenth session on Thursday by debating a new set of conclusions drafted in connection with the case of retired general Mirko Norac. The conclusions have been drafted by the benches of the ruling coalition's six parties, the PGS/SBHS (Primorje-Gorski Kotar Alliance/Croatian Party of Slavonia and Baranja) bench and the bench of minority representatives. The ruling coalition benches yesterday withdrew an initial set of conclusions which, among else, took to task the organisers of last weekend's protests in support of Norac for planning a coup. Norac is a suspect in 1991's war crimes against civilians. The issuing of an arrest warrant earlier last week elicited a series of protest rallies in several parts of the country. The new conclusions demand compliance with provisions from a declaration on the Homeland Defence War, Croatia's early 1990s war of independence from the ex-Yugoslavia, adopted by parliament last autumn, including the one stipulating that the Croatian judiciary is obliged to prosecute all possible cases of individual war crimes by applying principles of individual accountability and guilt. The conclusions also support the head of state, the government, and judicial institutions in executing their powers, and bind the government and competent state bodies to act in line with the Constitution and legislation in preventing activities which could endanger the basic values of the constitutional order. (hina) ha