ARLOVIC SAYS HE EXPECTED SKREB'S RESIGNATION

ZAGREB, April 26 (Hina) - The president of the Croatian parliament's House of Representatives, Mato Arlovic, on Wednesday said he expected resignations from members of the Croatian National Bank (HNB) Council and governor Marko Skreb, who tendered them earlier today. "The resignations are expected, because parliament didn't adopt a report on HNB's work for 1998 and the first six months of 1999, or a financial plan for 2000," Arlovic told reporters. "The House of Representatives has thus given a vote of no confidence to governor Skreb and his team," he added, announcing the Lower House would discuss the tendered resignations and new people for HNB. Arlovic refused to say when the issue could be on the agenda. A source close to parliament's top officials, who wanted to remain anonymous, said parliament could discuss the resignations in late May or early June. Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly said HNB's top officials should have tendered their resignations immediately after parliamentary elections, on January 4. "That would have avoided the unpleasant situation in the banking sector which hit us in March," he said. Ivan Milas of the Croatian Democratic Union said he did not know the HNB Council, of which he is member, would make their mandates available, since he did not attend the session in question. The new authorities "had announced decapitations in the HNB anyway," he said. Former Premier Zlatko Matesa said the resignations were superfluous, since parliament can relieve of duty HNB Council members and appoint new ones whenever it wants. (hina) ha jn