HDZ OPPOSES ZAGREB SUMMIT

ZAGREB, Nov 21 (Hina) - The biggest Croatian opposition party, HDZ, has supported rallies to be staged in protest of the organisation of the Zagreb Summit and the arrival of Yugoslavia's President Vojislav Kostunica. The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) is against that a process of negotiations on Croatia's association and membership in the European Union would be conducted through a regional approach such as is being prepared for the Zagreb Summit, HDZ President Ivo Sanader said on Tuesday. This "Balkan gathering" definitely pushes Croatia further from Europe, Sanader told a news conference after today's joint session of the HDZ national committee and the parliamentary bench of this party. The title 'Zagreb Summit' is used only for the Croatian public, while the real title of the meeting is the Balkan Summit of the European Union as this is cited in the Council of Europe's documents, the HDZ leader asserted. HDZ representatives wondered why the final document of the Summit was being concealed not only from opposition parties but also from parliamentary deputies of the ruling six parties. In this context, Sanader said the EU Council of Ministers had adopted that declaration last week and forwarded it to the Croatian Foreign Ministry over the weekend. The HDZ saw the confirmation of their claims in an instruction given to Slovenia to tighten customs control at the border-line with Croatia, he added. (hina) jn ms