PRESIDENT'S OFFICE LAUNCHES INITIATIVE TO AMEND CONSTITUTION

ZAGREB, Feb 29 (Hina) - Croatia's President Stipe Mesic has said he has not yet been acquainted with the contents of the Government's proposals for limiting powers of the President of the Republic, which are likely to be instigated into procedure in two weeks. President Mesic told the Croatian Radio on Monday night that he did not know yet whether "the Government considers Constitutional amendments" or it "is intending to pass a regulation regarding some legal norms." Mesic stressed in his interview that in this context one should make distinction between changes of acts and Constitutional changes, as the latter ones must pass the public examination and all relevant institutions should express their stands on Constitutional amendments. Mesic said the Presidential Office had launched an initiative which would be soon given to an experts' team to consider it. Croatian president said he would like that all professors of Constitutional Law take active part in elaborating that initiative as to help create a basis for changes of the Constitution. He explained that "when the Constitution is amended once, that amendment mustn't be for purposes of current politics, but should be in force many years." Commenting on the support Slovenia's President Milan Kucan recently gave to residents of the village of Hotiz who insist that the state border between Slovenia and Croatia be on the Mura River, Croatian President said Zagreb and Ljubljana had a Commission for demarcation of the frontier. He voiced hope that the commission would solve problems in a satisfactory manner both for the Croatian and Slovene party. Asserting that the issue of the state border cannot be solved partially, Mesic said he believed that the problem of the border- line between these two countries would be solved integrally. (hina) mm ms