SEVEN CROATIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES SEND OPEN LETTER TO TUDJMAN

ZAGREB, Feb 20 (Hina) - The presidents of seven Croatian opposition parties sent an open letter to President Franjo Tudjman on Tuesday in reply to his letter of February 16 on the constituting of local government in Zagreb. Describing Tudjman's letter as disturbing, the opposition leaders wrote: "We reject with indignation your accusation that representatives of our parties are making every effort to win over interested foreign circles for 'discrediting, destabilizing and replacing the democratically elected government of independent and sovereign Croatia'." "You repeat that you could not have allowed attempts by the Alliance of our parties to undermine 'the normal functioning of the constitutional and legal system' and that we aim to 'overthrow this democratic government at all costs.' No one has the right to make such accusations," the opposition leaders said, rejecting the President's accusations that the Alliance abused the democratic system. The signatories questioned the purpose of democratic elections and a majority of the vote the Alliance had won in last year's elections for the Zagreb City Assembly "if that, as you have said, undermines the stability and international position of Croatia." The opposition leaders said that the President believed that over 60 percent of voters in Zagreb were not "'the honourable citizens of Zagreb' and 'the conscious Croatian public'." The letter was signed by Vlado Gotovac of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Zlatko Tomcic of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS), Ivica Racan of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Stipe Mesic of the Croatian Independent Democrats (HND), Radimir Cacic of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), Silvije Degen of the Social Democratic Action of Croatia (ASH) and Dobroslav Paraga of the Croatian Party of Rights 1861 (HSP 1861). (hina) vm mm 201503 MET feb 96