ECONOMY MINISTER TO ASK FOR ANOTHER URGENT SESSION OF SABOR

ZAGREB, July 20 (Hina) - Economy Minister Goranko Fizulic has announced that he is going to demand another extra-ordinary session of the Croatian parliament at which MPs may adopt a final bill on privatisation, which was drawn from the parliamentary procedure on Thursday, because of the parliamentary legislation committee's opinion that some provisions of that draft act were not in compliance with the constitution. "Had I not offered my resignation for other reasons, I would now have tendered it," said Fizulic who recently, along with another three HSLS (Croatian Social Liberals) members in the Ivica Racan Cabinet, decided to step down over the disagreement between their party's leadership and the government on the issue whether Zagreb should hand over two Croatian generals to the UN war crimes tribunal (ICTY). At a press conference on Friday, Fizulic said he did not know what had happened about the said bill but that he had heard speculations that a certain party initiated such developments in the Sabor. He confirmed allegations that laying behind the motives was the land, i.e. sites on which some tourist firms such as hotels are located. He said he had withdrawn the bill from the procedure after consultations in the government. He did it as the legislation committee assessed that some provisions were contrary to the constitution. Fizulic, however, wondered how the committee had changes its stands now, given that the provisions in question were already in the valid law and given that it had not objected to them in the first reading in May. The bill's 'questionable' segments provide that the Croatian Privatisation Fund's portfolio includes shares of state-owned companies, public companies and institutions established by the Republic of Croatia, and that in exceptional situations, the government, at the Economy Ministry's proposal, can decide that stocks should not be sold and decide on the further management over such shares. Asked by reporters about the reasons for the changes in the committee's stands and which political party was behind it, Fizulic answered he would speak about it when he was no longer a minister. According to corridor talks in the Sabor and media speculation, the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) seems to be behind the opposition to the said provisions. Fizulic, however, reminded that yet another party which also raised the question about the use and privatisation of the land around tourist facilities was the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), that demanded that units of local self-government should decide on it. (hina) ms