ZAGREB, 23 Jan (Hina) - Representatives of Croatian parliamentary benches gave different opinions on the Croatian Government Letter of Intent on the completion of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area at today's session
of the House of Representatives.
ZAGREB, 23 Jan (Hina) - Representatives of Croatian parliamentary
benches gave different opinions on the Croatian Government Letter
of Intent on the completion of peaceful reintegration of the
Croatian Danubian area at today's session of the House of
Representatives. #L#
The Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) would vote against the
Letter, said HSP representative Ante Djapic. Judging from the
content of the Letter, the Letter should have been entitled a
'letter of intent on the completion of integration of Serbs in the
Croatian Danubian area', Djapic explained.
'It is not clear who the real author of the letter is, since
it is hardly likely that the Croatian government had written it
without having been under pressure', Djapic said, adding the letter
spoke in detail only about the rights of Serbs of different
provenance, while it made little mention of the rights of Croats
and other nationalities.
The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) bench supported the
Letter, said Jadranka Kosor, adding that the Letter regulated the
rights of Croatian citizens of Serb origin as well as the rights of
other minorities now living under U.N. administration.
The Letter made no mention of any special status of the U.N.-
administered area, Kosor stressed, adding that 1997 would be the
year of return to the Croatian Danubian area.
The Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS) bench described as
disputable the part of the Letter which says that the newly-arrived
Serbs in the area would have the right to chose where to vote,
Damir Kajin said.
According to the Croatian Social-Liberal Party (HSLS) bench,
it is unclear who had sent the letter and to whom it had been sent,
said Zlatko Kramaric, warning that the letter offered some
privileges which would result in a change of the principle of
equality before the law.
The Letter of Intent was an initiative by the state policy,
although there were no firm guarantees that the Serb side had
agreed to it, said Luka Trconic on behalf of the Croatian Peasants'
Party (HSS) bench.
The way the letter had been written put Serbs living in other
parts of Croatia in less favorable position, Trconic added.
The Croatian Democratic Party (SDP) bench held that the Letter
should be taken note of, said Ivica Racan. The disputable part of
the letter was that it offered some unique rights to the members of
the Serb ethnic community, which other Croatian citizens do not
exercise.
(hina) rm mm
231355 MET jan 97