HDZ & OPPOSITION WON'T RESUME TALKS ON ELECTORAL LEGISLATION

ZAGREB, Aug 31 (Hina) - Negotiations on new electoral legislation between the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the Opposition Six group will not resume, opposition coordinator Vlado Gotovac told reporters on Tuesday following talks with HDZ negotiator Vladimir Seks.#L# Gotovac said he met Seks in the morning, at Seks' request. The ruling party's chief negotiator informed him the HDZ does not consent to changes to the Law on Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) before new electoral legislation has been passed, Gotovac told the press. "The HDZ won't agree to a debate on Croatian Television within the framework formulated and adopted in the agreement the HDZ and the Opposition Six signed on May 25," Gotovac said. The ruling party maintains that changes to the HRT Law have no bearing on negotiations on electoral legislation, whereas the opposition group conditions the passing of new electoral legislation on the transformation of the national television into a public medium. The negotiations between the HDZ and the Opposition Six, which includes the Social Democratic Party, the Croatian Social Liberal Party, the Croatian Peasants' Party, the Istrian Democratic Assembly, the Liberal Party, and the Croatian People's Party, were interrupted early in July. (hina) ha jn