SOCIAL LIBERALS SURPRISED WITH BUDISA'S RESIGNATION

ZAGREB, July 11 (Hina) - The news that Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) president Drazen Budisa on Wednesday tendered an irrevocable resignation to his post came as a surprise to HSLS parliamentary deputies, but they refused to give any official comments this afternoon. At a session of the party assembly (called 'Veliko vijece') last Saturday, which discussed the party's stand toward the indictments the Hague war crimes tribunal recently handed to the Croatian government, Budisa allegedly offered his resignation so as not to influence other party members with his authority. According to sources in the party, the HSLS assembly should meet on Saturday to discuss the reasons for Budisa's resignation. It is believed the assembly will have to accept the resignation since it is irrevocable. Under the party statute, the assembly will appoint one of the party vice-presidents acting party president for a mandate to last until the next party convention, which will elect the new president. After a government minister from the HSLS ranks voted against the government's decision of July 7 to comply to the requests of the Hague tribunal and two others abstained while four of the five HSLS ministers resigned from the government, the media marked Budisa as the main culprit and accused him of jeopardising not only the government but his own party with his irresponsible conduct. Budisa has allegedly explained the reasons for his resignation in a letter to be submitted to the party assembly. He was not available to reporters this afternoon. Budisa headed the HSLS for more than a decade and is an HSLS deputy in the parliament. From the early 1990's to the electoral victory in the January 2000 general vote of a six-party coalition, which included the HSLS, Budisa was one of the most important opposition politicians. The HSLS was the main partner of Prime Minister Ivica Racan's Social Democrats (SDP) in the six-party coalition formed in 2000. (hina) rml