PARLIAMENT FAILS TO RESOLVE DISPUTE OVER PASALIC

ZAGREB, April 4 (Hina) - Representatives of all parliamentary parties failed on Wednesday to settle a dispute over parliament's refusal last week to appoint a member of the strongest opposition party to the Internal Affairs and National Security Committee. MPs of the ruling coalition's six parties stick to parliament's decision regarding Ivic Pasalic of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), and hold the seat of a HDZ member should stay occupied until the HDZ proposed another representative, Mato Arlovic of the Social Democratic Party said on behalf of the coalition. Parliament refused to appoint Pasalic, they had said, due to the involvement of HDZ MPs in the work of secret services. MPs of the ruling coalition voted against a motion by the Election and Appointments Committee to appoint Pasalic to the Internal Affairs and National Security Committee, contrary to an agreement whereby parties suggest their members for parliamentary committees and these suggestions are adopted without debate. In the wake of the vote, MPs of the HDZ decided they would not participate in the work of parliamentary committees until the dispute was resolved. Arlovic said today that ever since Pasalic was proposed as candidate, MPs of the ruling coalition had signalled to the HDZ to propose someone else, for several reasons, the main being that the Internal Affairs and National Security Committee supervises secret services. Arlovic added that independently of whether it had been corroborated or not, Pasalic's name had been publicly linked with secret services too much. Pasalic can be appointed to any other committee, he said. Vladimir Seks of the HDZ said the HDZ would not allow any party to interfere with HDZ's candidates for committees, and that it would not propose another candidate for the Internal Affairs and National Security Committee. He announced the HDZ would seek support from other opposition parties. (hina) ha sb