HDZ PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TO BE CHOSEN DECEMBER 26

ZAGREB, Dec 17 (Hina) - Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) spokesman Ivica Ropus told Friday's news conference that an extended session of the party's Head Committee on December 26, with the only item on the agenda being the election of the HDZ presidential candidate for upcoming elections. According to Ropus, the party will elect HDZ's president at a HDZ General Assembly which will be held after the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections. The last day for the holding of the second round of presidential elections in February 8 (on case no candidate wins more than 50 per cent of votes), and December 26 is the last day for presidential elections to be scheduled by the Croatian Government. Commenting on domestic and foreign media who wrote about the arrival of foreign delegations to the funeral of the late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, Ropus said they had expected more state officials and diplomatic representatives to attend the funeral. Their failure to come did not only hurt the HDZ and the current Croatian authority, but primarily the Croatian people, he said. A part of the international community still has the wrong assessment about the reputation of President Tudjman among the Croatian people, and this was best shown by kilometres upon kilometres of citizens who paid him their last respects and attended the funeral. In reply to a reporter's question, Ropus said the HDZ was discussing the possibility that the future president of the Republic not be a party president. He informed reporters that HDZ's Press Centre at the party's main secretariat would begin functioning on Saturday and would be open for reporters from 9am until 22pm every day. Reporters were also presented the HDZ's newly designed Internet site at www.hdz.hr. (hina) lml mm