ROPUS:RELATIONS BETWEEN OPPOSTION WILL BECOME RADICAL

ZAGREB, Aug 13 (Hina) - Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) spokesman Ivica Ropus evaluated that relations between opposition parties will deteriorate as a result of the coalition between the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Croatian Social Liberal Party. "This agreement signifies the cessation of the opposition six and relations between the SDP and HSLS towards the remaining opposition six will become openly radical", said Ropus at a press conference Friday. Ropus estimates that the parties within the opposition six will spend more time of the election campaign bickering about each other than the HDZ, stating that this is already evident. He believes that the HDZ will once again win the next elections which he suggests should be held either December 19 this year or January 23. "Our election research bring us to be totally optimistic. HDZ will gain more than other individual party while the opposition will once again experience defeat", he said. He added that the HDZ would take an affirmative approach to the elections and will refrain from attacking its opponents. Speaking about the recent agreement between the SDP and HSLS, he evaluated it as one of the most significant pre-election agreements. The HDZ "neither over or under estimates it". "We are not terribly concerned about it either", he said. He suggested that the Istrian Democratic Forum, Croatian National Party and Liberal Party should not be looked at lightly. Together with the Action of Social Democrats of Croatia and the Croatian Pensioners' Party could together gain as many votes as the SDP or HSLS. Ropus believes that the Croatian Peasants' Party will run for the elections on their own. The right wing bloc could gain some 7 per cent of the votes. Ropus said that the HDZ "will certainly have a coalition partner", at the elections and negotiations were currently underway in this regard. It is well known with whom the HDZ wishes to form a coalitions, he said however, avoided to name the relevant party. He added that the HDZ was open to cooperation at the local level and will be open to cooperate with all parties with similar programmes regardless of where they stood during the elections. (hina) sp