DECISION ON SALARIES CONTROVERSIAL NOT LAW ON RIGHTS OF OFFICIALS: P.M.

P.M. ( Editorial: --> 9701 ) ZAGREB, July 24 (Hina) - The Government is satisfied with the Croatian President's suggestion not to apply a law on the rights and obligations of state officials and an accompanying decision on the President's salary until they are reconsidered, Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa said on Friday. The Government had already wanted to amend these documents, he said. The law on the rights and obligations of officials does not have formal legal shortcomings, whereas the decision on the President's salary does, Matesa said. The Government believes this decision could not have been reached before the law had come into effect, the Prime Minister added. The law and the decision were adopted at a session of the Croatian National Parliament's House of Representatives on July 10. Due to noticed shortcomings, President Franjo Tudjman yesterday suggested that the law be reconsidered, and that the changes and amendments to the law and the decision on his salary be forwarded into urgent procedure at parliament's first sitting in autumn. Tudjman suggested that the law and the decision should not be published or applied until then. Matesa said the law and the decision must be differentiated, as the law did not make any mention of the salaries nor was it the basis for determining or paying out salaries. The Government will not accept any hypocritical statements about a salary not even mentioned in the law, the Premier said, adding that a high number of officials in all categories currently received higher salaries than those according to the law on the rights and obligations of officials. We believe there exist great differences between what the Government proposed and what resulted after the parliamentary discussion, he said. Asked what changes to the law the Government would propose, Matesa said they would refer to the group of people with state official status, adding the next parliamentary discussion would probably also tackle the salary ratio. He believed the proposed ratios were acceptable. Speaking about the state officials' salary amounts, Matesa reiterated that the parliament could pass a decision on the salaries only once the law on the rights and obligations of officials came into effect. The salary amount has to be compatible with the economic and any other circumstance, he said. Asked if this meant that salaries might be cut, Matesa said it remained to be seen. Journalists also wanted to know whether President Tudjman had decreed the proclamation of the law on the rights and obligations of officials. Matesa said he did not know, but was sure the President would or had already done it within his competence. Journalists also wanted the opinion of Deputy Prime Minister Ljerka Mintas-Hodak, who is also member of a working group putting finishing touches to the law. Asked if the law would come into effect or not, and if the decision on the President's salary would be altered, Mintas-Hodak said "the law will normally come into effect, but the decision will not be published, actually, the way it was formulated (makes it) unenforceable". The Government will come to the first autumn parliamentary session with changes and amendments to the law on the rights and obligations of officials, while the text of the decision on the President's salary will in the meantime be adapted so as to make it enforceable, Mintas-Hodak said. (hina) ha jn /mbr 241847 MET jul 98