OPPOSITION DEMANDS VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN GOVT - GOVT REFUSES ACCUSATIONS

ACCUSATIONS ( Editorial: --> 4072 ) ZAGREB, June 26 (Hina) - The Croatian National Parliament's House of Representatives on Friday started a discussion on a proposal by six Opposition parties for a vote of no confidence in the Government. The Opposition explained their request with the difficult social situation of a majority of Croatian citizens. Premier Zlatko Matesa described these objections as 'one-sided' adding that the Government's work cannot be judged without taking into account its achievements. The reason which prompted the proposal of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), Croatian Social- Liberal Party (HSLS), Liberal Party (LS), Croatian People's Party (HNS) and Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), is a Constitutional Court decision which annulled certain regulations of the Pension Adjustment Law, SDP representative Zeljka Antunovic said. However, the real reason for the Opposition proposal is "the difficult social situation and status of pensioners," she added. The Government did not act in line with the conclusions of Parliament which requested the improvement of pensioners' status, and on several occasions it denied the existence of a government debt to pensioners, she said. Moreover, with its failures the Government mislead the whole Croatian National Parliament when it claimed, despite parliamentary conclusions, that there was no debt which should be returned to pensioners and that the Pension Adjustment Law had previously been discussed with the Constitutional Court, Antunovic said. Premier Matesa said that the Opposition initiative was a "serious event" which the Government took to heart because it did everything to improve the living standards of pensioners, in line with the state potential. The Government's work cannot be judged by one event, which this time is the Constitutional Court decision on pensions, Matesa said. He recalled the achievements of his government so far: Croatia's admission into the Council of Europe, the successful completion of peaceful reintegration; more than US $1.7 billion spent on the reconstruction and displaced people; many adopted laws; the best relations with unions ever; economic stability and real and nominal growth of wages and pensions. The stabilisation programme could not have been implemented had the Government not adopted a regulation on pension adjustment in 1993, Matesa believes. The Constitutional Court decision does not mention any debt or how high it is, Matesa said. He reiterated that the Government was ready for a lower house commission to investigate whether this was true or not. Matesa also recalled that the Government had drawn up a law allocating, in line with Croatia's potential, US $1.2 billion to pensioners over several years. He promised that the living standards of pensioners would increase in line with wages and living costs and refuted claims that the debt could be returned in bonds or shares. (hina) jn rml 262250 MET jun 98