ZAGREB, July 5 (Hina) - The leading officials of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), Liberal Party (LS) and the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) on Wednesday voiced their commitment to the ruling six-party coalition, dismissing
reports that their parties were forming a new three-member coalition. IDS vice president Damir Kajin believes the problem with the ruling coalition is not in the three parties but "somewhere else". HNS president Vesna Pusic and LS vice-president Zlatko Kramaric were direct: "... the main conflict is the one between the SDP and the HSLS." "There are attempts to project that conflict to other parties within the six-party coalition," Pusic told Hina, commenting on an interview Prime Minister Ivica Racan gave in the latest issue of 'Globus' weekly. Pusic believes it is especially inappropriate for the Prime Minister to criticise the HNS, adding it was the HNS that was the most loyal party to the
ZAGREB, July 5 (Hina) - The leading officials of the Croatian
People's Party (HNS), Liberal Party (LS) and the Istrian Democratic
Assembly (IDS) on Wednesday voiced their commitment to the ruling
six-party coalition, dismissing reports that their parties were
forming a new three-member coalition.
IDS vice president Damir Kajin believes the problem with the ruling
coalition is not in the three parties but "somewhere else".
HNS president Vesna Pusic and LS vice-president Zlatko Kramaric
were direct: "... the main conflict is the one between the SDP and
the HSLS."
"There are attempts to project that conflict to other parties
within the six-party coalition," Pusic told Hina, commenting on an
interview Prime Minister Ivica Racan gave in the latest issue of
'Globus' weekly.
Pusic believes it is especially inappropriate for the Prime
Minister to criticise the HNS, adding it was the HNS that was the
most loyal party to the ruling coalition.
Prime Minister Racan told Globus there was "a lack of inclination
toward the current coalition" in the IDS, HNS and LS and that he
would not be especially upset if some of the coalition partners left
the coalition because it would not jeopardise the government's
stability.
"Our parties' representatives have shown by voting in parliament
that they support the Government, without any hidden intentions,"
Hina was told by Kramaric, whose recent statements were interpreted
as a possible announcement of the coalition's break-up.
"This government has no alternative," Kramaric said, adding his
statements referred to possible coalitions in some future
elections.
Kajin, too, believes forming a new coalition would be interpreted
as the negation of the will of citizens, demonstrated in the
parliamentary election. He also believes that representatives of
the coalition parties have the right to warn about those moves by
the coalition which make it noncredible, such as its decision to
increase excise taxes and not reduce the VAT rate instead.
The six parties making up the ruling coalition are the Social-
Democratic Party (SDP), Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), HNS,
IDS, Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), and LS.
(hina) jn rml