FIRST REACTIONS TO TUDJMAN'S PARLIAMENT ADDRESS ON STATE OF NATION

ZAGREB, Jan 20 (Hina) - Leaders of parties of the Croatian National Parliament had various reactions to Wednesday's address of President Franjo Tudjman to the Parliament on the state of the nation. According to the secertary-general of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Drago Krpina, Tudjman recalled very clearly and objectively all achieved results in the past year, and also very openly spoke about problems in society which have not been adequately resolved. The address on the state of the nation is a comprehensive presentation of the state and basic tasks before the state authority, HDZ vice-president Ivic Pasalic commented. According to him, the key sentence is the one in which Tudjman stressed that all goals and efforts of the Croatian state authority would be orientated towards the strengthening of democracy and of Croatia as a social and democratic state. These are goals around which all Croatian political parties could gather, Pasalic stressed. Asked about a Government reshuffle and announcements that some people outside of the HDZ could join in, Pasalic said "there are no signs of that". President of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP), Anto Djapic, was pleasantly surprised with Tudjman's address. Tudjman spoke openly about problems and even offered certain solutions in his conclusion, Djapic said. Social Democratic Party (SDP) president Ivica Racan was not impressed with the address, describing it as standard. "Unfortunately, problems the Croatian state and society are facing are far more alarming, but we did not hear how the state authority means to handle that," Racan said. "The fact is, (Tudjman's) authority is exceptionally extensive and we are diverting far more attention to that than to his speech," Racan stressed. President of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Drazen Budisa, said he could not give a positive evaluation of the address. It is positive that this year there were less polemical tones against the Croatian Opposition, he said. On the other hand, the presentation of the economic and social state of Croatia was unrealistic, Budisa said. He added the address did not mention two big problems - the fight against narcotics and mine-clearing programmes. Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) was exceptionally critical of Tudjman's address. He described it as "an anachronistic speech without courage, the speech of a policy on its way out," Kajin stressed. He added the address was abundant with a lot of incorrect information, it is "not bold to admit as to what has been done to the failed would change". Petar Zitnik of the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) held the address contained too many generalities. The address was "absolutely unacceptable", the more so because agriculture was mentioned only in passing, "with only one word at the end of the address". President of the Serb Democratic Independent Party (IDSS) ,Vojislav Stanimirovic, assessed the address was comprehensive, but had noticed that the President had not mentioned agriculture. Spokesman for the Liberal Party (LS), Bozo Kovacevic, said an exceptionally positive element of the address was a change in rhetoric and the measured style of the President's speech. He criticised Tudjman for not having mentioned tasks from last week's report, because, as he said, not one of the goals had been realised. Kovacevic held as unsustainable the assessment on the success of the work of intelligence services, in circumstances in which these services "illegally wiretrap Croatian citizens". (hina) lml