HDZ DISMISSES PRESIDENT MESIC'S STATEMENT

ZAGREB, May 21 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party on Wednesday dismissed a statement by President Stjepan Mesic, who, according to some media, during yesterday's visit to Bavaria accused the party of not fully supporting Croatia's admission to the European Union. #L# The media quoted Mesic as saying that HDZ parliamentary deputies had formerly opposed the ratification of the Agreement on Stabilisation and Association (SAA). "For the sake of the truth we must say that this is the nth time President Mesic speaks untruths about the HDZ in public," the party says in a statement. The HDZ did not vote against the SAA and last December its deputies in parliament submitted a draft declaration on Croatia's admission to the EU, "which bound the government to submit an application for admission to the EU, which the government did", reads the statement. The party further states that "President Mesic must not join in electoral campaigning" and that the role of a head of state abroad is not to attack the opposition, but represent the state as a whole. The party also claims that "on several previous occasions the international public was very surprised by Mesic's attacks on the HDZ" and that despite "Mesic's being angry about the HDZ growing stronger, it is the Croatian voters and not he that will decide about the future state authorities". During yesterday's visit to Bavaria, President Mesic said that the Croatian public and a large number of political parties mostly supported Croatia's pro-European orientation, although the largest opposition party (HDZ) kept sending different signals - on the one hand its leaders claimed that their commitment to united Europe could not be questioned, but on the other hand, when the parliament voted about ratifying the SAA, the party was against it. (hina) rml sb