ZAGREB, Nov 4 (Hina) - In continuation of its 43rd session on Thursday, the House of Representatives discussed a report by a commission of inquiry in charge of investigating the origin of a plan dubbed "Fox", its authors, and motives.
The commission was established on December 15, 1998, at the request of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS). HSLS representatives then asked that the commission establish the authors of an anonymous plan, for which it claimed that it was called "Fox" and that it was aimed at destabilising the party. According to the HSLS, the authors of the plan were people who had once been HSLS members and later became members of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and some other parties. In a debate which was then held at HSLS's request, HDZ representatives claimed that the plan "Fox" was actually another document called "The Strategy of HSLS's Political Operation As
ZAGREB, Nov 4 (Hina) - In continuation of its 43rd session on
Thursday, the House of Representatives discussed a report by a
commission of inquiry in charge of investigating the origin of a
plan dubbed "Fox", its authors, and motives.
The commission was established on December 15, 1998, at the request
of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS).
HSLS representatives then asked that the commission establish the
authors of an anonymous plan, for which it claimed that it was
called "Fox" and that it was aimed at destabilising the party.
According to the HSLS, the authors of the plan were people who had
once been HSLS members and later became members of the Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ) and some other parties.
In a debate which was then held at HSLS's request, HDZ
representatives claimed that the plan "Fox" was actually another
document called "The Strategy of HSLS's Political Operation As Of
June, i.e., September 1994", compiled by Goran Granic and aimed at
causing an early election and taking over authority by the
Opposition. The HSLS, however, claimed that the plan was "an
innocent political strategy" and was not titled "Fox" but
"Badger".
Since it was established that there were two documents, the
commission had to establish which document was the authentic "Fox"
plan, as well as who its authors were and what it was aimed at.
At today's session, the commission's president Vladimir Seks
reported the commission had established that it was "The Strategy
of HSLS's Political Operation...", signed by Goran Granic in 1993,
that was the authentic plan "Fox".
This, Seks said, was a plan of destruction of a parliamentary party
- the HDZ, and a plan aimed at causing a parliamentary and general
political crisis in 1994.
The unsigned document, which the HSLS submitted to the commission,
and which the commission calls "Initiative", was not a plan of
destruction of a political party (HSLS). It was an inter-party
document, adopted by the HSLS, which reflected political changes
within the party and individual political options, without any
direct or indirect influence from other parties or state bodies.
According to the commission, the document was a political platform
which caused the rift in the HSLS and the establishment of the
Liberal Party (LS).
Reporting about the work of the commission, which has held four
sessions and heard 16 witnesses, Seks said the events in Croatia of
1992 and 1993, together with Croatia's role in the situation in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and the situation in the HSLS, were of crucial
importance for the two documents. Seks gave a detailed analysis of
the context in which "Fox" plan was made; based on witness
statements, he described the situation in the HSLS and the related
events on the political scene.
The unsigned document, which the HSLS submitted to the commission
and which is called "Initiative", is aimed at establishing a new
majority in the HSLS. It is possible, Seks believes, that the author
of this unsigned initiative is Ivan Bozicevic, although witness
statements as to its author contradict each other. The commission
believes, Seks said, that by making these issues topical four years
after the publishing of the "Initiative", the HSLS leadership
wanted to justify the party's being left by part of its members.
The commission also believes that the Opposition Six wanted to make
the public believe that the HDZ had been manipulating the events and
processes in opposition parties through secret services, Seks
said.
He also informed that the commission had established that the
events in the Parliament in 1998 and 1999 were the continuation of a
failed attempt to cause a parliamentary and state crisis in 1994.
The intention was to instigate chaos, disorder and a parliamentary
crisis, with the aim of causing an early election, under the
presumption that, considering the serious economic and social
situation which the HDZ cannot solve, there is a great chance for
the Opposition to win the election.
"Opposition Six" representatives, namely, resigned from all
parliamentary posts, except for those as Members of Parliament.
At the beginning of today's session, HSLS representative Hrvoje
Kraljevic warned that the report violated the Constitution and the
Law on Commissions of Inquiry. He reminded that, according to the
Law, a commission must not have less than five and more than 15
members. At the time it was established, the commission had 16
members and the fact that three members resigned immediately does
not change anything, he said.
Also violated were the regulations on the need for the
proportionate party composition of the commission and the subject
of the inquiry. The commission investigated something it was not
established to investigate. One cannot investigate any other
document but the one we proposed, said Kraljevic.
Seks said the commission's secretary Anto Kovacevic, as the 16th
member, did not participate in decision-making.
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