BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 5161

HR-BULLETIN-Politika BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 5161 HINA Zagreb 8 December 2003HDZ GIVES PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER CONSULTATIIONS WITH PRESIDENTZAGREB, Dec 8 (Hina) - Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Ivo Sanader told reporters in Zagreb on Monday that his party had informed President Stjepan Mesic that it had a majority in the new parliament. Asked when the president would give him a mandate to form a government, Sanader said they would hear each other on the phone this evening after the president completed consultations with other parties. He said they discussed the possibility of the parliament holding a constituent session on December 22 and 23. "During the two days, we will try not only to constitute a parliament, but also to form a government, and the president agreed with it." Sanader said he put forward a proposal for the reduction of the number of ministries, because "we want a smaller and more effective government that would be more a service to citizens than an un