OPPOSITION ANNOUNCES POSSIBILITY OF BOYCOTTING ELECTION

ZAGREB, June 10 (Hina) - The Opposition Six on Thursday announced a possibility of boycotting the election. Our participation in the election will depend on the entire democratic atmosphere and not only on reaching a consensus on the package of the electoral laws, said Radimir Cacic, the President of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) and the co-ordinator of the Opposition Six which also includes the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Croatian Social and Liberal Party (HSLS), the Liberal Party (LS), the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) and the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS). After latest political scandals, the opposition asked the President of the Sabor to add a discussion on the work of the intelligence and security services into the agenda of the current session of the House of Representatives, and put this demand as a condition for the resumption of talks with the ruling HDZ party on the package of the electoral law. "One can wonder whether a fair election is possible at all if the situation in Croatia is continuing to deteriorate," Cacic added. The LS President, Vlado Gotovac, said in response to a reporter's question that the Opposition Six "is certainly thinking of the boycott of the election as well." The SDP President, Ivica Racan, added that the opposition had the right not to reveal its further steps. "We offer a consensus (to the HDZ) on minimum democratic standards. If it is not possible to reach it, we will think over and adopt our stand on time," Racan stressed. The Sabor President Vlatko Pavletic told reporters that it was possible that the next week the Croatian National Parliament would discuss the demand of the Opposition Six referring to a debate on the work of intelligence and security services. For a few months the Opposition Six has been refusing to carry out other duties in the Parliament, except of those of members of the parliament, in protest at the HDZ rejection of a parliamentary discussion on intelligence services and of forming an investigating commission whose task would be to establish whether those services had overstepped their authority. Radimir Cacic told journalists on Thursday that the Opposition Six would not continue negotiations with the HDZ on the electoral law until it received information from relevant services about reasons for the arrest of Miroslav Separovic, a former head of the Croatian Intelligence Service (HIS), the umbrella intelligence organisation. I believe that, in contrary to some interpretations, the authorities know very well what they are doing as well as that their main aim is to instil fear in Croatia, the HSLS President, Drazen Budisa, said commenting on the search of the flat of Miroslav Separovic and his apprehension. According to Budisa, the goal of the action is "to shut the mouth of M. Separovic and other witnesses of the malfeasance in secret services." "What is the purpose of reaching an agreement with the HDZ, if this practice endangering the security and freedom of citizens is not discontinued," Budisa wondered. Gotovac read to reporters a statement of the Opposition Six in which it "calls on the Croatian public to join the opposition in struggle against increasing political violence and abuse of office." (hina) jn ms