ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) - The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) will object to the establishment of a commission of inquiry which should probe into possible illegal influence on the work of security and intelligence services and
the possible anti-constitutional activity of same. "I believe what should be discussed is how to improve legislation related to and parliamentary supervision of the work of security and intelligence services," HDZ bench president Vladimir Seks told the House of Representatives on Tuesday. The Lower House debated the security and intelligence system and the opposition's demand for the establishment of a commission of inquiry. Seks believes that for far-reaching conclusions, the claims the parties of the Opposition Six group have put forward in explaining their demand have no foundation, no valid evidence, and even less reasons for the establi
ZAGREB, June 29 (Hina) - The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)
will object to the establishment of a commission of inquiry which
should probe into possible illegal influence on the work of
security and intelligence services and the possible anti-
constitutional activity of same.
"I believe what should be discussed is how to improve legislation
related to and parliamentary supervision of the work of security
and intelligence services," HDZ bench president Vladimir Seks told
the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The Lower House debated the security and intelligence system and
the opposition's demand for the establishment of a commission of
inquiry.
Seks believes that for far-reaching conclusions, the claims the
parties of the Opposition Six group have put forward in explaining
their demand have no foundation, no valid evidence, and even less
reasons for the establishment of the inquiry commission.
Its establishment is prevented by numerous legislative reasons as
well, he said, citing many ongoing court proceedings mentioned by
the opposition, including the Dubrovacka bank case, or the demand
for the investigation of former Croatian Intelligence Service
(HIS) head Miroslav Separovic.
Such cases should not be discussed by the parliament, but by the
Committee for Internal Politics and National Security, Seks said.
He called on the Opposition Six to return to the Committee where
they can obtain all data, in line with the law.
If a paper, Seks said, "Nacional" weekly in this case, publishes
data originating from security and intelligence services, the
minister of the interior and the manager of the Office for National
Security must initiate proceedings to determine the responsibility
of the party which, removing the seal of secrecy, published the data
or documents in question.
Stressing there is nothing contrary to the law in wire-tapping
based on orders of the interior minister, Seks said the contents of
the documents, namely conversations among people, contain no
secret.
"The aim is to create the conviction, the impression that
intelligence services deal in trifles, recording intimate,
personal conversations," Seks said.
He refuted the opposition's claims that high officials' interviews
represent pieces of evidence. They do contain certain
circumstantial evidence, he said, but pointed out it had been
former HIS manager Separovic, whom the opposition now cites as
"crowning evidence", who signed that there had been no abuse of
intelligence services.
The ruling party is primarily interested in assessing provisions on
the contents and modes of supervision of legislative authority over
security and intelligence services, Seks concluded.
(hina) ha jn