PARLIAMENT WRAPS UP THIS WEEK'S SITTING

ZAGREB, Oct 12 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament wrapped this week's sitting up with a debate on requests for stripping several MPs of immunity. The credentials and privileges commission has moved against stripping of immunity Stjepan Henezi and Stjepan Dehin of the ruling coalition's Peasant Party (HSS) and Jadranka Reihl-Kir of the ruling Social Democrats (SDP), as requests for stripping them of immunity are based on civil suits. In the cases of Anto Djapic of the opposition's Party of Rights (HSP) and Branimir Glavas of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the commission has moved stripping them of immunity pursuant to requests to that effect by the State Prosecutor's Office. Djapic is accused of having copied 60 percent of his master's thesis from his adviser, HSP's Boris Kandare, while Glavas is suspected of having instigated abuse of power in the privatisation of Glas Slavonije daily. While representatives of the ruling coalition's five parties maintained MPs should not be stripped of immunity based on civil suits but solely on criminal charges, the opposition claimed this was political persecution. Vladimir Seks of the HDZ expressed concern the "incumbent authorities are sending into courts all with a different opinion" and were trying to depict HDZ's representatives as criminals. Most MPs agreed that "absolute" immunity would perpetrate the notion that the principle of equality of all citizens before the law did not apply to MPs. Parliament should vote on the issue when the 17th session resumes on Wednesday. (hina) ha sb