CRO PARLIAMENT BEGINS DISCUSSION ON AMNESTY ACT

ZAGREB, May 15 (Hina) - In order to speed up the process of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area, the Croatian government on Wednesday forwarded to the Croatian Parliament a Bill of Amnesty for Perpetrators of Criminal Actions in the Area of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srijem. The Croatian Parliament House of Representatives on Wednesday began an emergency discussion on the Bill. #L# On behalf of the Legislation Committee, Vice Vukojevic asked that the name of the act change to Act of Amnesty for Persons Commiting Criminal Acts in the Temporarily Occupied Areas of the Vukovar and Osijek Counties. They also suggested an ammendment that the Amnesty Act should concern criminal acts committed from August 17 1990 till June 1 1996, instead of until the beginning of the demilitarization, as was specified in the Bill. The Legislation Committee supported an amendment of representative Ivan Gabelica, Bosiljko Misetic said. Gabelica asked that amnesty be conditional on the future behaviour of the perpetrator, that is, if the person in the future committed a criminal act which endangered the security, territorial integrity and the existence of Croatia, they would lose the right of amnesty. Croatian Social Liberal Party representatives supported the act, Vladimir Primorac said. Croatian Party of Right representatives did not only not support the act, but were appalled by it, Anto Djapic said. "We do not support it for moral and political reasons, of which there are thousands, because of killed soldiers and sleepless nights spent in Serb concentration camps," Djapic stressed, expressing fear that the act would provide security to those who had burned Croatian houses and who could be a nucleus of a future rebellion. On behalf of the Croatian Peasants' Party, Luka Trconic said it was necessary to pass the act, and stressed that the opposing side was not sincerely interested in peace. (hina) lm mm 151240 MET may 96