SABOR PRESIDENT: I STILL HAVEN'T RECEIVED CONTROVERSIAL RECORDING

ZAGREB, April 20 (Hina) - The President of the Croatian National Sabor, Zlatko Tomcic, on Thursday told reporters he still has not received the tape recording on the basis of which he could check the content of a transcript of a conversation between late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and Ivic Pasalic regarding the sale of "Vecernji list" daily. "We still don't have any information, although we have the President's promise that I will be given the recording," Tomcic told reporters, confirming that he and Josko Kontic, chairman of a parliamentary commission investigating the circumstances of the sale of "Vecernji list", had requested the President to forward the recordings. Tomcic and Kontic currently only have the transcript of the reportedly recorded conversation between Tudjman and Pasalic regarding the purchase of "Vecernji list" for the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which was published by "Nacional" weekly. The transcript was forwarded to them by President Stipe Mesic. Tomcic did not want to comment on a statement by Vjera Suman, spokeswoman for the President's Office, that the recording is where it should be and that she does not know why it should be listened to. I would not comment on her words and I recall some media claims saying that I have received the recording, which is not true," Tomcic said, adding there was no need whatsoever to repeat the request to the President's Office to hand over the recording. Asked to comment on parliamentary cloakroom talk that the recording might not even exist, Tomcic said it was hard for him to believe such a thing. "I really find it hard to believe such a fact because that would be loss of face for those who claim that the recording exists," Tomcic said. (hina) mm rml