INTERNAL POLICY COMMITTEE AGAINST SET-UP OF INVESTIGATING COMMISSION

ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) - The parliamentary committee for internal affairs and national security on Monday accepted a proposal that the House of Representatives discuss on Tuesday intelligence and security system as well as the opposition's suggestion about the set-up of an investigating commission for the work of such services, said a member of this committee, Jozo Rados, after its closed session. The HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) majority in this committee of the lower house rejected a demand that an investigating commission be formed to establish whether illegal influence has been exerted on the work of intelligence services and whether these services have acted failing to comply with the constitution, said Rados who is a representative of the opposition Croatian Social and Liberal Party (HSLS). The two-and-half-hour session of the committee, in which Opposition Six deputies have taken part for the first time since last November, revolved also around a 1998 Report drawn up by the Office for National Security. The report was subsequently included into the agenda of the committee's session, contrary to the will of the opposition. "That report was accepted but we were against it. We hold that it does not give sufficient data in order to enable us to conclude how that institution is working" Rados said describing the document as schematic and adding it contained no real data. The committee accepted that the Sabor lower house should discuss the work of the intelligence services as well as the demand for the set-up of the investigating commission. The refusal to establish that commission shows, according to Rados, that "in the HDZ an opinion prevails that everything is all right" and that what is happening like information is leaking, journalists are bugged is an incident but the system is under control and everything is O.K. for the ruling HDZ. Rados stressed that opposition members had a different opinion, as they maintained that there were good reasons for the set-up of the commission and for a probe into the work of intelligence services. "We were, however, a minority, and we were outvoted by other members of the committee," he explained. Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS) said most of the committee's members did not accept a suggestion that a former head of the Croatian Intelligence Service (HIS), Miroslav Separovic, be invited to confirm, before the committee, statements he gave in public about irregularities in the work of such services. Kajin explained the committee could call certain persons to testify in order to obtain certain information, but "obviously, the ruling majority is not interested in that." The Sabor discussion will be open for public, but will not be broadcast live by television. The majority in the committee refused the clear conclusion that discussion be held in front of TV cameras. The discussion will be open, but we suppose the public will not have the full insight in it, Rados said. Asked how the refusal to establish the investigating committee would influence the resumption of negotiations between the Opposition Six and the HDZ on the electoral legislation, since it was one of conditions set by the opposition, Kajin answered that presidents of those six opposition parties (HSLS, IDS, LS, SDP, HSS and HNS) should first give their judgement about it, and after that parliamentary benches would assume a certain stand. After the committee's session, reporters did not manage to get a statement of the committee's head, Ivan Milas, or other members of the committee who are HDZ deputies. Present at Monday's session were people from intelligence services such as the head of the UNS (Office for National Security), Ivan Jarnjak, the head of the HIS (Croatian Intelligence Service), Tomislav Druzak. In addition, Defence Minister Pavao Miljavac and Interior Minister Ivan Penic were also at the session. (hina) ms