TOMAC APOLOGISES TO HDZ DEPUTIES

ZAGREB, Nov 14 (Hina) - Parliament Deputy Speaker Zdravko Tomac, of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), apologised Wednesday for a statement he made at a recent round table when he used the term "Taleban" while commenting on a Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) request that Croatia postpone the signing of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union. "I apologise for using the term "Taleban" to everyone who took this as an offence," Tomac said in parliament this afternoon. Vladimir Seks of the HDZ this morning demanded that Tomac apologise, stating that by using the said term Tomac had implied the HDZ members were "terrorists, killers and bandits." Tomac said his quote on the Taleban had been malevolently taken out of his speech at the round table. He explained he had not called the HDZ members the Taleban, but had stated that some HDZ politicians used the term to describe their party colleagues who opposed the Agreement. Tomac said he was surprised that the HDZ should be accusing him of spreading hatred and intolerance. Vladimir Seks accepted Tomac's apology on behalf of the HDZ parliamentary bench. (hina) np sb