HDZ BEGINS FIFTH GENERAL CONVENTION

ZAGREB, April 29 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) on Saturday began its fifth, two-day general convention which should elect the formerly ruling party's new leadership, and adopt a new statute and programme declaration. Attending the convention are some 2,000 party delegates from Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the Diaspora. "There is no other way but to continue gathered around the heritage of Croatia's and HDZ's first President, Franjo Tudjman, to pursue along the same path as in 1990 in order to round (Tudjman's) magnificent work, and to perform the vow and oath that we will defend the independence and freedom of the Republic of Croatia as a law-based and social state," HDZ acting president Vladimir Seks said in his introduction address. Without the HDZ, the independence of the Croatian state would be jeopardised, he asserted. The acting president called the period between the party's fourth general convention and the present as the most troubled since HDZ's establishment. Over the past year, the party lost its founder, under whose leadership the Croatian people realised its centuries- long aspiration for its own state, Seks stated. Analysing the causes of HDZ's failure at January's parliamentary elections, Seks said they lay in the party's weakened standing, which he sees as the result of failure to fulfil promises of a better living standard, abuse of office for personal gain, insufficient democracy, and the perception that the party's officials were corrupt. According to the acting president, list bearers at parliamentary elections did not significantly affect the electoral failure. The causes went much deeper and had arisen much earlier, he said. The decisions of HDZ's fifth general convention will be crucial for the party's future and to restore the lost voters' trust, Seks said. Before the convention began, a party delegation laid wreaths at the graves of late President Tudjman and former defence minister Gojko Susak. (hina) ha