GOVT SENDS INTO PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE BILL ON NEW ID CARDS

ZAGREB, Sept 16 (Hina) - The Croatian Government on Thursday sent into parliamentary procedure a bill on new identification cards. Should the Parliament adopt the bill in urgent procedure, new identification cards would be issued as early as of January 1, 2000, and their price would be determined by the Interior Ministry. The Government today also gave a positive assessment of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) parliamentary bench's proposal on election legislation. #L# The shape and size of the new ID cards will be more practical, they will be computer-read and harmonised with international standards, and they will contain all elements for preventing forging. Interior Minister Ivan Penic said the cards would be printed in Croatian and English, as well as in the languages of national minorities on condition that this was regulated by an international agreement. Personal data will be written in Croatian and in the Latin script. In keeping with international standards, the surname of the owner will stand first, to be followed by the name. A total of 15 million kuna (DM3.84 million) will be needed for the financing of technical equipment, i.e. the implementation of the law. Upon the expiry date of their current ID cards, citizens would obtain the new ones. The Government has no objections to and it supports the adoption of bills on the election of MPs to the House of Representatives and on electoral units. Antun Palaric, head of the State Directorate for State Administration, described the bills, proposed by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) bench, as a huge step forward in the development of democracy and parliamentary system. The bills constitute a good precondition for a lawful and fair election, Palaric said, stressing the regulations regarding the multi-party election committees and election commissions, as well as the establishment of a commission on ethics. According to Palaric, an interesting and good solution is the so-called rotating mandate for the representatives of small minorities (the Czech, Slovaks, the German, Austrians, Jews, Ruthanians, and Ukrainians). Furthermore, Palaric believes the division of Croatia into nine electoral units (the tenth unit would include Croatian citizens without permanent residence in Croatia) is very logical. He said the organisation of electoral units as envisaged by the HDZ bill prevented election engineering. The Government today also adopted an amendment to the Customs Law so that the application of its regulations on the value of goods for customs purposes starts as of October 1, 1999. Also amended was the decision on goods which are imported with customs benefits, exempting scientists, writers and artists from paying taxes when importing their own works from abroad. The Government granted the re-allocation of one million US dollars from the state budget, which would be transferred in the form of a deed of donation to the international foundation for mine removal and assistance to mine casualties in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The foundation would in turn pledge to, within ten days from the payment, transfer the money to the account of the Croatian Mine Removal Centre and obtain a donation worth one million dollars from the US Government. Finance Minister Borislav Skegro informed the Government about the successful completion of talks with the potential investors into Croatian Telecommunications (HT) - the Swedish-Norwegian company Telia-Telenor and Germany's Deutsche Telekom. At a session, which will be held behind closed doors, the Government should adopt uniform implementation rules so that only one criterion - the price - would decide about the best bidder, he said. The public opening of the bids will take place on September 23, between 9 and 10 am, at the Presidential Palace in Zagreb, the Finance Minister said. (hina) rml