TOMCIC: OPPOSITION'S DECISION NOT GOOD FOR PARLIAMENTARISM

ZAGREB, June 26 (Hina) - Croatian Sabor President Zlatko Tomcic stated on Thursday that the decision of the opposition's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) and the Democratic Centre (DC) to partially boycott parliamentary voting was not good for parliamentarianism. #L# The decision will not be met with a positive public response, Tomcic said. In protest of the situation in Osijek-Baranja County, the presidents of the HDZ, HSLS, HSP and DC - Ivo Sanader, Drazen Budisa, Anto Djapic and Mate Granic - agreed to boycott, as of next week, voting proceedings in the Sabor. The boycott will not refer to votes concerning laws adjusting the country's legislation with that of the EU and bills sponsored by the four parties. Tomcic said the situation in Osijek-Baranja County was only an excuse for the opposition's conduct, the real cause being "the opposition's nervousness and the desire for elections to be held as soon as possible". "The opposition is impatient, but if we recall the past ten years, we'll see that the date of elections was never known until the last moment," he added. Tomcic also said that disputes like the one in Osijek-Baranja County were solved with the help of legal remedies and that boycotting parliamentary work was not the way to deal with it. (hina) sp rml sb