HOUSE OF COUNTIES APPROVES BILL ON NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICE

ZAGREB, March 8 (Hina) - The House of Counties today gave prior opinion to the House of Representatives on a Bill regulating the functioning of the National Security Office. The House approved the final version of the Bill, but rejected all the amendments tabled by the Opposition, as well as those proposed by the Commission for home and foreign policy and national security. During the debate, Liberal Member Marko Lapaine argued that the Bill was unconstitutional because it gave the President certain powers he did not have under the Constitution. Zdravko Tomac (Social-Democratic Party) said Croatia needed a National Security Office, but not this kind of law, which did not abide by the Constitutional division of powers. The passage of such an act would obstruct democratic processes in Croatia, another Liberal, Zarko Katic, warned. HDZ meber Julije Derossi said that the law was good. If it was a mite "specific", it had to be because the service in itself was specific. Zvonimir Bartolic (HDZ) reassured the deputies that the new National Security Office would not be like similar services in the "old system". Luka Bebic addressed the House on behalf of the Home Policy and National Security Committee, which had tabled the Bill. He said the Bill was based on Article 94 of the Constitution which lay the responsibility for "ensuring the unity and continuance of the Republic" squarely on the President's shoulders. The Constitution also defined the President as the "head of the executive," Bebic said, quoting Article 102 (see Constitution). Bebic concluded by saying that nobody denied the Parliament's right to control the legality of the Office's work. (hina) mm as 081650 MET mar 95