NEW SERB PARTY FORMED IN NORTH-EASTERN CROATIAN REGION

( Editorial: --> 8764 ) BELI MANASTIR, Sept 7 (Hina) - A board initiating the establishment of a new Serb political party in the north-eastern Croatian region of Baranja met in Beli Manastir on Monday and announced the party's founding congress would be held soon. Members of the board are disgruntled former members of the Serb Independent Democratic Party (SDSS), the largest ethnic Serb party in Croatia. One of three proposed names for the new party is the Serb Democratic Party of Baranja, but the final name will be agreed to later on, initiative board chairman Ljubomir Mijatovic announced after the meeting which was held behind closed doors. Commenting on political differences with the SDSS, following clashes with SDSS president Vojislav Stanimirovic over the participation of several members of the Beli Manastir Town Council in the dismissal of former mayor Veljko Bertic, Mijatovic said the new party would be open to cooperation on an equal footing with all Serb parties in Croatia and with parties containing members of other nationalities. He said that the entire management board of the SDSS town organisation had submitted a collective resignation of membership in the SDSS and, added with another four town councillors, would grow into the Initiative Board for the establishment of a new party for Baranja Serbs. Mijatovic said he did not expect the SDSS to attempt obstructing operations of the new party, assessing that the SDSS main committee had been misinformed over this case and would gradually come to terms with the real situation in Baranja. (Hina) mbr 072345 MET sep 98