JAKOVCIC: PULA RALLY - CONFIRMATION OF DEMOCRATIC FORCES

PULA, Feb 17 (Hina) - The Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS), supported by political parties - HNS (Croatian People Party), LS (Liberal Party), HSS (Croatian Peasants' Party) and ASH (Action of Social Democrats of Croatia) - on Saturday held a rally called "For Peace and Democracy" which gathered over 2,000 people from Pula, where it took place, and other parts of Istria. IDS President Ivan Jakovcic described the rally as the confirmation of democratic powers in Croatia and its European profile. Asserting that on this occasion Pula was celebrating peace, freedom and democracy, Jakovcic said the rally was "the face of our Istria." Jakovcic added that he had personally expected faster changes and faster resolution of problems the Croatian society was faced with. However, he does not believe that the alternative to the incumbent authorities is a policy which ruled the country in the previous ten years. The LS President, Zlatko Kramaric, said he came to the Pula rally to show that he aligned himself with peace, democracy, and dialogue. He stressed that the Croatia parliament should tackle economic and every-day problems rather than historical and ideological topics. For the LS leader, the issue of better life is the right political issue. On behalf of the Italian national community, a MP in the Sabor, Furio Radin, addressed the gathered. He read a protest note of the Italian community's assembly asking sanctions against a MP of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Ljubo Cesic Rojs, who physically attacked an IDS MP, Dino Debeljuh, in the Croatian parliament a few days ago. Radin also insisted on an apology of the HDZ which may help "defuse latest tension in the Sabor." IDS Vice-President Damir Kajin said Croatia had to face the reality adding that the country had been living in an extraordinary situation for some fifteen days. "It is only a peaceful, democratic and civic Croatia which must respond to the language of hatred we could hear in recent days," he said adding that citizens were fed up with war cries which had never brought anything good. He expressed regret that no representatives of SDP (Social Democratic Party ) and HSLS (Croatian Social Liberal Party), another two partners in the six-party ruling coalition, attended the Pula rally. Kajin maintains that the everyday hardship of Split citizens, rather than slogans of HDZ leader Ivo Sanader and some local politicians, spurred them to come in the downtown Split for last Sunday's massive demonstrations. Kajin concluded that Croatia must be built on achievements of anti- Fascist movement, the Homeland Defence War and peace. Participants in the rally carried olive branches. (hina) ms