HDZ COULD USE SECRET SERVICES FOR ELECTIONS - SAYS SDP'S RACAN

ZAGREB, June 23 (Hina) - The president of Croatia's Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Wednesday told reporters it was possible the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was a priori refusing the opposition's demand for the establishment of a commission which would probe into the abuse of intelligence services in order to consolidate and use them in the pre-electoral period. "It is ridiculous that someone wouldn't want a commission of inquiry to establish some facts, unless they were afraid of it," said SDP's Ivica Racan. Racan spoke to reporters in Zagreb following a request to comment on HDZ's rejection of all opposition demands which condition the reaching of a consensus regarding new electoral legislation. Racan said the claims made earlier today by HDZ's chief negotiator Vladimir Seks, who said the opposition's new demands violated an already signed agreement with the ruling party, should not be taken as final. He believes talks between the HDZ and the opposition will continue. Democratic Europe has "forced" the HDZ to negotiate on new electoral legislation with the opposition, Racan said. "That was not an autonomous democratic act on HDZ's part." Had it been so, he added, parliament would have discussed secret services, a step forward would have been made toward a public television, and an agreement on a code of behaviour among parties would have been reached. "It is something which is expected of a democratic party even without the opposition's urging," Racan said. He assessed as a threat Seks' statement that the HDZ could alone motion a new electoral law in September, envisaging one electoral unit and a seven to eight percent electoral threshold. (hina) ha jn