TWO CONTESTANTS OF CRO PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF HOLD DEBATE

ZAGREB, Feb 3 (Hina) - Croatia's two presidential candidates - Stipe Mesic and Drazen Budisa - who will contest the run-off election on February 7, held a debate in the theatre "Kerempuh" in the downtown Zagreb on Thursday.#L# The event was prepared by the non-governmental organisation "Voice 2000" and present at the debate were about five hundred citizens. Asked about their opinions on the relations between the future President and the Government Budisa gave a short answer that it should be cooperation, while Mesic maintained that the Government and the President should not only cooperate but also must be "correctives" to each other. Both Budisa, who is the candidate of the Social Democratic Party/Croatian Social Liberal Party coalition (SDP/HSLS), and Mesic who is the candidate of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) and supported with other parties in the block with the HNS, agreed that President himself should initiate changes in the constitutional powers granted to the President of the Republic of Croatia. They shared the opinion that women must assume better position in the society and its institutions. The two were in favour of the right to abortion. Asked what he thought how Budisa would be like the President, Mesic answered "He would be a good President. He is younger than I but has a little outmoded ideas." When asked what he thought of Mesic as the possible President, Budisa replied that "the will of citizens must be a sacred thing." "Citizens will have such President whom they elect," he added. Asked whether they had political idols, Budisa said he had none, while Mesic answered that his idol was the late Swedish Premier Olaf Palme, but stressed he would not like to have the same fate as this assassinated leader. During the two-hour debate the two candidates were forced a few times to ask a small group of vociferous persons not to interrupt the discussion with their strident remarks. (hina) ms