TUDJMAN ADDRESSES PARLIAMENT - BRIEF EXCERPTS

( Editorial: --> 9335 ) 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 the internationally recognised right to self- determination," Tudjman said. 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 the constitutional law and in real terms." "History has entrusted us with the task of establishing and defending the independent, sovereign and democratic Croatian State, and we still have the unavoidable commitment to fully implement the ideals incorporated in the Constitution," he said. "These ideals, which commit all of us, the founders of present-day Croatia, involve the assurance of Croatia's freedom and state sovereignty, and of all conditions assuring the equality of all citizens and the respect of the rights of man, a democratic multi- party system, social justice, economic development and prosperity, equity, and responsibility for one's deeds and words to the people and State." The Christmas Constitution of 1990 has found full confirmation in its application in the last seven years and had to be changed only in those provisions which were determined by the fact that at the time of its promulgation Croatia was in legal terms still a part of the former Yugoslav federation, the President said. "Such provisions, as well as those which proved to be - in formal, legal, value and even linguistic terms - remnants of the former system, were abolished or deleted or amended." Tudjman focused on the most important changes to the Constitution, including the change of the name of Parliament into the Croatian National Parliament and the introduction of a provision prohibiting the affiliation of Croatia with any Yugoslav or Balkan associations. Citing numerous facts from Croatian history and tradition in favour of changing the name of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia into the Croatian National Parliament, Tudjman said that this change is not only of a formal terminological meaning but of a deeper significance in political and constitutional terms. "We are asserting thereby the Croatian State and its sovereignty, and we are not replacing, suppressing or renouncing the Republic as the form of our government." "Those that cannot grasp, or cannot or will not accept, the well- founded arguments supporting the name of the Croatian National Parliament, belong - most unconsciously, I believe - to those frightened Croatian public figures who are not listening to the voice of their own people but to the voice of alien - if not masters, then models," Tudjman said. Stressing that the constitutional prohibition of affiliation of Croatia in any Yugoslav or Balkan unions was a truly historic constitutional amendment, Tudjman said that it politically expressed "the firm and unanimous conclusion of the struggle of the Croatian people for national freedom and independence of its State: the Croatian people does not ever again want to be part of any Yugo- Balkan state community!" Among other changes, the President stressed the amendment of the Historical Foundations section of the Constitution, specifying that "with the 1990 Constitution and its victory in the Homeland War (1991-1995), the Croatian people has manifested its determination with regard to the establishment and preservation of the Republic of Croatia as an independent, sovereign and democratic State." Then the President pointed to two basic conditions for the further overall progress of Croatian society and the state. He pointed out the need to implement the Croatian democratic order, legally shaped by the Constitution and by law, in a more systematic and comprehensive way than has been done so far. President Tudjman recalled that he had repeatedly drawn attention to red tape, arbitrary and unlawful phenomena, and abuses of power and public office, in particular the fairly frequent violations of citizen rights, but also of the lawful interests of state, not only criminal abuses, but also the usurpation of privileges. Warning about the dangers of such phenomena, the President pointed out that unless steps were taken to curtail them as soon and as resolutely as possible, they could lead the uniformed part of both the Croatian and the international public to start attributing such manifestations to Croatian authorities as a whole, and not to individual citizens, officers and officials. As the second condition for overall progress, President Tudjman pointed out the necessity to coordinate the system of free market economy and private enterprise with the requirements of the social State and with the fundamental principles of social justice. The basic task of the social State is the achievement of social justice, the President stressed, adding this primarily meant the assurance of the right to work, and the right of employed persons to an income with which they can ensure themselves and their families a free, decent, secure, happier and richer life, depending on given economic conditions and personal abilities. "The implementation of the social State and social justice does not allow for a narrow-minded understanding of economic efficiency according to which any allocation of resources to ensure social justice is not necessary", Tudjman said. "On the contrary, one should grasp the fact that there is no economic development or civilisational progress without a guaranteed justice in the distribution of the social product and national wealth. It should be borne in mind that social balance is one of the fundamental factors of progress and social stability, which are not possible without the solidarity and partnership of employers and employees with an efficient mediation of the State", the President said. Balance, Tudjman added, can only be achieved by a development- focused economic policy and a certain redistribution of national wealth, and profit, to the advantage of poorer Croatian citizens. The President said this could be achieved by appropriate tax system and tax policy measures, such as a progressive taxation of earnings and property, by which the richer, and especially the richest, could be made to contribute more, in proportion to their wealth, to meeting public expenditure. He recalled a constitutional article specifying that "everyone shall participate in the defrayment of public expenses in accordance with their economic possibilities", and that "the tax system shall be based on the principles of equality and equity". President Tudjman believed that, now that Croatia had achieved its freedom, and by reaching the Danubian frontiers full sovereignty, the time has come when we can and must initiate discussion of all essential issues of peace-time everyday life which, Tudjman stressed, are of vital importance for the people at large. (hina) vm ha jn 181812 MET dec 97