ZAGREB, July 31 (Hina) - Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) leader Drazen Budisa said on Thursday that the number of fires that have been raging along the Adriatic coast in recent days suggested that they were organised acts of
arson.
ZAGREB, July 31 (Hina) - Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS)
leader Drazen Budisa said on Thursday that the number of fires that
have been raging along the Adriatic coast in recent days suggested
that they were organised acts of arson. #L#
"We don't rule out negligence, (...) but everything points to the
fact that this time we're facing a concerted effort," Budisa told a
new conference.
He did not say who the arsonists were nor why would anyone
deliberately cause fires.
"We can only speculate in whose interests this is, and I wouldn't
want to go into it," Budisa said, adding that these were acts of
subversion which demanded a full response of all relevant
services.
The HSLS leader said that the government's behaviour in "these
dramatic circumstances" was irresponsible and inconceivable. He
raised the question of responsibility for failure to purchase 200
fire engines for which funds had been secured.
"The new circumstances demand harsher penalties for deliberate and
organised acts of arson," Budisa said.
Budisa went on to say that Prime Minister Ivica Racan had violated
the provisions of the amended Penal Code banning the glorification
of fascist and other totalitarian ideologies when he had his
photograph taken near a picture of the former Yugoslav president
Tito.
He said that it would be inconceivable for heads of government in
former communist countries to be photographed alongside their
former communist leaders.
"The fact that this has happened to Racan many times is an
aggravating circumstance for him, while the mitigating
circumstance is that the Penal Code will take effect as late as
December 1," Budisa said.
(hina) vm sb