PROTEST RALLY CAN'T BE HELD ON CENTRAL SQUARE FOR SAFETY REASONS

( Editorial: --> 2588 ) ZAGREB, Feb 17 (Hina) - The Zagreb city authorities refused permission for a public protest rally announced for 20 February to take place on the central city square, Trg Bana Jelacica. According to Zagreb mayor Marina Matulovic-Dropulic, the safety of people cannot be ensured at that location. At a Tuesday press conference, the mayor called on the Committee for Staging Protest Rallies to hold the rally at the Jarun recreational centre, or in Maksimir Park. The city authorities are responsible for the safety of the residents, Matulovic-Dropulic said, adding that unlike the central city square, safety could be guaranteed at the other two locations. The mayor recalled that in 1992, the City Assembly Executive Committee decided that public gatherings could not be held on the central city square. According to the president of the City Assembly, Zlatko Canjuga, the signatories to the demand for holding the public rally on the central city square were aware of the 1992 decision. He assessed their intention to hold the rally on Trg Bana Jelacica as a political provocation, not an attempt at constructively approaching the solving of workers' problems. The organisers of the announced protest rally include unions and 11 extreme right-wing and extreme left-wing political parties, said Canjuga, which, he added, indicated these were typical political demonstrations made by these parties with the aim to provoke the Croatian state authority by using unions. (hina) ha jn 171629 MET feb 98