IDS DISMISSES ARLOVIC'S ACCUSATIONS

PULA, Aug 24 (Hina) - Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) vice- president Damir Kajin spoke at a news conference in Pula on Friday about yesterday's statement by parliament deputy speaker Mato Arlovic in an interview with the Jutarnji List daily that IDS' project Istra Kras More (Istria Karst Sea) "is an attempt to geographically define Istria in line with a model for the Istria peninsula from 1936," at the time of fascist Italy. Arlovic, a Social Democratic Party (SDP) vice-president, also remarked that "it is curious that those who are along the lines of anti-fascism have made such a mistake." Commenting on Arlovic's statement, IDS' Kajin said, "it is not tragic when Mr Mato Arlovic speaks about the IDS as a fascist party because all those in this country who are well-intentioned know it is a lie." However, "it is tragic that this country cannot have any prospects with people who think like Arlovic, like it had no prospects with the HDZ." In the interview with Jutarnji List, Arlovic also said that "the SDP supports transborder cooperation but not transborder regions. This is not only a Croatian issue but an issue of other neighbouring countries whose parts one wishes to integrate into a transborder region. Slovenians do not support it, let alone Italy. Especially if one knows that the region should have a special administrative seat," Arlovic said. (hina) sb rml