LOWER HOUSE SAYS PUSIC' STATEMENT WAS NOT OFFENSIVE

ZAGREB, Feb 16 (Hina) - The lower house dismissed with a majority vote on Friday a Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) conclusion that Vesna Pusic had insulted parliament, the Croatian people and Croatia by saying yesterday "that the HDZ government had led an aggressive war in Bosnia and Herzegovina." The Croatian People's Party's Pusic made the statement during a parliamentary debate on the current political situation, eliciting a stormy reaction from the formerly ruling and currently strongest opposition party. HDZ MPs said Pusic had insulted Croatia's war veterans and a declaration on the Homeland Defence War. Pusic countered by saying she did not insult anyone "except those who advocated that policy, because soldiers didn't decide about anything, a certain policy did." She said she adopted the declaration, which parliament passed last autumn, as a member of her party, but added she retained the right to have her own opinion which she had been advocating since 1993 as a citizen and free intellectual. Parliamentary speaker Zlatko Tomcic reprimanded Pusic yesterday because her opinion was contrary to the declaration. Given Pusic's refusal to apologise, HDZ moved a conclusion proposing that the House of Representatives condemn her statement. It was turned down. (hina) ha sb