PICULA: HDZ'S CIRCULATION OF DECLARATION POLITICAL PROVOCATION

ZAGREB, Nov 23 (Hina) - Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said on Thursday the step the Croatian Democratic Union party had taken today by circulating among the press the draft of a final declaration of tomorrow's Zagreb Summit was "political provocation." "The circulation of one of the earlier versions of the Zagreb document, i.e. the final document of the Zagreb Summit, is an attempt at political provocation of a party which for ten years falsified its European orientation," Picula said at the Summit's press centre, stressing he was "very willing" to answer questions about the HDZ move. Picula today officially opened the press centre in Mimara Museum in downtown Zagreb together with Mayor Milan Bandic. "We know very well where the effects of that policy left Croatia on January 3 (parliamentary election)," said Picula, who was puzzled that HDZ president Ivo Sanader, "as a former deputy to foreign minister, failed... to acquire the norms of diplomatic behaviour (namely that) material which hasn't been officially adopted... cannot be circulated." Sanader had been deputy to former foreign minister Mate Granic. Picula added the final document "differs from the one distributed by HDZ not only in details." The press conference at which the paper was distributed was organised by Sanader and the president of Bosnia's HDZ, Ante Jelavic, who is attending tomorrow's Summit as a member of the Bosnian delegation. (hina) ha jn