OPPOSITION HAS NO SPECIAL PLATFORM FOR U.S. TRIP - SDP LEADER

( Editorial: --> 5433 ) ZAGREB, July 3 (Hina) - Before leaving for the United States, leaders of five Croatian opposition parties held a consultative and working meeting on Friday with the US Ambassador to Croatia, William Montgomery. Presidents of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Ivica Racan, Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), Zlatko Tomcic, Liberal Party (LS), Vlado Gotovac, Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), Ivan Jakovcic, and Croatian People's Party (HNS), Radimir Cacic, discussed last- minute details relating to their visit and appearances in the United States from July 5 to 11. Regarding the meeting as a working one, the opposition has not informed the media about it formally. Reporters did, however, find out about the meeting, which did not please the opposition leaders. We are not creating any special platform for this journey, Racan said. Our parties have clear stances on many issues regarding Croatia, its relations with Europe and the world and this is our programme. No special platform is necessary, Racan said. According to him, the opposition's visit to America will not represent anything other than what the opposition represents in Croatia. Commenting on reporters' remarks that the opposition representatives did not come out of the café in which the meeting took place very satisfied, Racan said this assumption was not correct. With some assistance by Gotovac, the SDP leader explained that the reasons for the dissatisfaction had completely different reasons and had nothing to do with the trip to the US, but with the domestic situation. Cacic said the cause of the nervousness of opposition representatives was the temperamental barging in of photographers and reporters into the meeting. The barging in especially upset Jakovcic who left for the city centre without a word. Asked whether the opposition will find a common programme regarding requests for the amendment of the election law and whether the issue will be discussed with American partners, Racan said he did not know how the rest of the opposition leaders would approach the issue. He, personally, did not wish to speak about particular law texts in America because this was a job for the Croatian Parliament, he added. Cacic's opinion differed. The HNS leader said the principles of the election law, not the law itself, would be discussed. The presidents of the five opposition parties are to visit the United States at the invitation of the State Department. Besides having numerous meetings, they will probably be received by State Secretary Madeleine Albright and her deputy Strobe Talbott. They are to visit the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and some non-government organisations on Capitol Hill. (hina) lml jn /mbr 031804 MET jul 98