MPs OF SIX OPPOSITION PARTIES RESIGN FROM PARLIAMENTARY DUTIES

ZAGREB, Nov 12 (Hina) - The MPs of six Croatian opposition parties, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Liberal Party (LS, Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), Croatian People's Party (HNS) and the Istrian Democratic Forum (IDS), on Thursday handed in their official resignations on all parliamentary functions, except for their member of parliament mandates. Members of the six opposition parties handed in their resignations to the duties of vice-presidents of both Houses of Parliament, president and vice-president duties and membership in parliamentary committees and commissions, all institutions and bodies to which they had been delegated through the Parliament's decisions, as well as to membership to parliamentary delegations in international organisations (Council of Europe, Inter- Parliamentary Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe), representatives of the 'opposition six' told reporters on Thursday. "Members of Parliament of these parties have for a long time been expressing profound discontentment with the Parliament's marginalisation and its insufficient role in the political life, as well as with the impossibility of performing their parliamentary functions and of the Parliament as a whole," HNS president, Radimir Cacic, spokesman for the 'opposition six', said. He stressed that the situation culminated after a refusal of the opposition's request for the establishment of a commission of inquiry to probe into the possible misuse of intelligence services, which, Cacic said, was a violation of Article 80 of the Constitution which stipulates that the Parliament House of Representatives supervised the work of the Government and public officials. "This was the direct cause of the resignations," he said. The resignations will be submitted to the president of the Croatian National Parliament by the end of next week, seen as some of the representatives are currently out of Zagreb, Cacic said. He added that in crux, this was the beginning of a parliamentary crisis. "In order for it to be solved, key drawbacks in the work of the Parliament need to be corrected," Cacic said. SDP president, Ivica Racan, said that the opposition had not set any conditions for their reinstatement to their duties. "If the ruling party is prepared to change that with which we are not content, then the annulment of our decision can be discussed," he added. Drazen Budisa, president of the HSLS, and vice-president of the House of Representatives, described the statement by Vladimir Seks that opposition house vice-presidents had representative functions as an expression of his political nervousness. "That statement is not intelligent and it points to a mentality which is characteristic of the HDZ (ruling Croatian Democratic Union) that the opposition is viewed as a necessary evil, but that is in fact unnecessary and only serves the purpose of decoration," he said. Budisa stressed that this was the "expression of a one-party system". (Hina) lml mm