UPPER HOUSE TO DISCUSS COOPERATION WITH ICTY IN TWO WEEKS

ZAGREB, March 14 (Hina) - The Croatian National Sabor's House of Counties will discuss cooperation between Croatia and The Hague- based war crimes tribunal in two weeks, after the government draws up and proposes to the Sabor a platform on the modalities of cooperation with the tribunal, it was said at a session of the upper house on Tuesday. Jure Buric of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) requested an urgent debate on the further cooperation with the tribunal, adding upper house representatives had a lot to say about that topic. Although welcoming Buric's initiative, the chairwoman of the Committee on National Security, Ivana Suce Trakostanec, called for respect for the conclusions of last week's session of the two parliamentary committees on national security. According to those conclusions, the government will by the end of March draw up a platform on the future cooperation with the tribunal, and the Houses of Representatives and Counties will then discuss it. After a short debate, the MPs accepted this proposal. Commenting on the agenda, the MPs requested that a report on the implementation of the Law on Croatian Homeland War Soldiers be prepared for the next session as well as that the session include a debate on the relationship between the two parliamentary houses. (hina) mm rml