JOURNALISTS DEMAND PENIC'S RESIGNATION MUCH TO MINISTRY'S DISMAY

( Editorial: --> 5679 ) ZAGREB, Oct 4 (Hina) - About 50 Croatian and foreign journalists, with passes to cover the Pope's visit to Split, demanded Croatian Interior Minister Ivan Penic's resignation, after they had not been allowed on time to enter the Eucharist celebration in Znjan bay, lead by the Pope on Sunday morning. Following this incident, the Split Press Centre released an apology which was, however, judged by the signatories of the resignation demand as "insufficient". The demand mentions, among else, that the Znjan police not only did not even try to find a solution, but "made fun of us". One of the older journalists suffered an injury to the leg. The police showed "incredible rigidity" towards journalists and media representatives, says the demand signed by about 50 reporters and photographers. Around 100 media representatives and a Split Media centre representative proceeded towards Znjan around 10.15am. According to their statements, the police denied access to the whole group, although they had the proper passes. When they saw popemobile arriving to Znjan, the journalists moved the barriers and, after a minor clash with the police, they entered into the area where the service was to be held in order to do their job. The Interior Ministry released a statement on Sunday night saying that the journalists' protest was "misdirected". They point to the fact that "the Ministry had no obligations regarding the technical organisation of the journalists' transport and their arrival to the location designated for their work". According to the Ministry's release, all journalists who came before the Holy Father's arrival to Znjan were allowed entry "at the agreed time, and to agreed places", and the group that later protested arrived to Znjan at the time the Holy Father in the popemobile was passing through the crowd. This group was shortly detained at the entrance so it would not get in the way of popemobile, the release said. "Immediately after the Holy Father arrived to the Sacristy, all the journalists were allowed to enter the area where the service was to be held, and the security guards were fully tolerant in allowing the journalists to do their work," the release said. (Hina) is/mbr 041952 MET oct 98