TUDJMAN ADDRESSES PARLIAMENT AFTER CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES

( Editorial: --> 9309 ) ZAGREB, Dec 18 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman addressed both chambers of Parliament on Thursday on the occasion of the amendment of the Constitution and the seventh anniversary of its promulgation. The constitutional changes, proposed by the President, were adopted by Parliament on December 12. "When we enacted the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia seven years ago, that was an event of unique historical significance. "With its promulgation we announced to the world, in the highest possible democratic way - by the Constitution - that the Croatian people had decided to establish its independent and sovereign State on the basis of internationally recognised right to self- determination," Tudjman said. "The Constitution of present-day independent and sovereign Croatia has been enacted, and now definitely conceived, on the basis of our own rich legal traditions, but also of the democratic achievements of the contemporary world." Explaining his motives to initiate the procedure for constitutional changes, the President assessed that with the acceptance and promulgation of amendments the Croatian Constitution was now "in its entirety and in all its provisions, the constitution of an independent, sovereign, democratic and social State such as the Republic of Croatia - in terms of constitutional law and in real terms." The joint session of the House of Representatives and the House of Counties was attended by members of the Government headed by Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa, members of the President's Office headed by Chief of Staff Hrvoje Sarinic, representatives of the National Security Office (UNS), Constitutional Court President Jadranko Crnic and representatives of the judiciary, church dignitaries, including the Archbishop of Zagreb and President of the Croatian Bishops' Conference Josip Bozanic, head of the Jewish community Ognjen Kraus, Evangelical Bishop Ladislav Vlado Deutsch, the diplomatic corps headed by doyen Papal Nuncio Giulio Einaudi, President of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences Ivo Padovan, university rectors, representatives of the armed forces led by Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Pavao Miljavac, county prefects and representatives of cultural, scientific and public institutions. The session began with the playing of the national anthem "Our Beautiful Homeland" and the observance of a one-minute silence in honour of the fallen Croatian defenders and all victims of the war. (hina) vm jn 181314 MET dec 97