HDZ CONVENTION ISSUES STATEMENT ON ZAGREB PROTEST RALLY

( Editorial: --> 3797 ) ZAGREB, Feb 22 (Hina) - On the second and closing day of its fourth general convention, the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Sunday commented on a union protest rally which took place in Zagreb on 20 February. In a statement to its members and the Croatian public, the HDZ considers it indicative "that the rally was organised and staged on the eve of the Fourth General Convention of the HDZ, of which the Croatian public with justification expects the evaluation of results achieved in the past, and new programme tasks in the future period." Following is the unofficial translation of the statement's full text: "Judging by the absence of any serious union demands, by the organisers and promoters of the protest, which included even opposition parties from the extreme right to the extreme left, and by the methods of expressing demands, and especially by the political slander of the HDZ and the insulting of the human dignity of state officials, in particular of President Tudjman, it is indisputable that the rally was a politically motivated one. "The Fourth General Convention of the HDZ most harshly condemns the insulting and belittling of the democratic institutions of authority and of the President of the Republic, who realised the long-standing dream of the Croatian people - the creation of the Croatian state, and who as a statesman has never made any concessions, either political, or territorial, in the process. "By abusing the social problems which Croatia has been faced with in the post-war period, and which are the result of the inherited situation from the previous system, the war and transition processes, the leaders of marginal political parties and some trade unions are trying to destabilise the situation in the country and the legally elected democratic government, by provoking riots and violence to the effect of 'Albanising' Croatia. This was especially evident in the wanton, hard-core refusal to respect the legal decisions of Croatian authorities on possible locations for holding the rally. This doubtlessly indicates that it was not an issue of freedom of union activity and gathering for the citizens' benefit, but a demagogic manipulation and non-respect of the rule of law. Surprising in this respect are the letters of Croatian Social Liberal Party president Drazen Budisa and Social Democratic Party president Ivica Racan to the Convention of the HDZ, (in which they) blame the HDZ and Croatian state authorities for protecting the legal order (the authorities' legal decisions), and side with the consignee and those who want to provoke chaos and anarchy. "The Croatian state authority has in a dignified manner and within the law answered the deliberate provocations of the organiser of and participants in the protest, protecting in this the lives and property of the citizens. "The Fourth General Convention points out that the Government of the Republic of Croatia, as the Government of the HDZ, has and shall lead a consistent social policy, and is in that regard conducting a permanent social dialogue with all social partners, especially with national trade union federations, of which some took part in the organisation of the protest. On account of this, the Fourth General Convention of the HDZ assesses that there have been no grounds for such ways of expressing discontentment, and for spreading them to other towns, without bringing into question in doing so the democratic right of Croatian citizens to hold public rallies and express opinion. "As the party with the parliamentary majority, the HDZ and its Government will continue to advocate an open social policy, based on the principles of social dialogue and social partnership, the freedom of association and the freedom of collective negotiating, but will also continue to be determined in opposing every attempt at the destabilisation of the Croatian state under the mask of freedom of public gathering. "The participants of the Fourth Convention of the HDZ believe the Croatian public will be able to distinguish between the welfare and interest for the citizens' economic and social benefit and the petty demagogy which leads to uncertainty and unrest and obstructs the resolving of real problems," the statement concluded. (hina) ha 221546 MET feb 98