UPPER HOUSE COMMITTEES SUPPORT PROPOSED CHANGES TO CONSTITUTION ( Editorial: --> 0009 )

( Editorial: --> 0009 ) ZAGREB, 11 Nov (Hina) - At a session held on Tuesday, the House of Counties' Committee for the Constitution and Rules unanimously supported draft amendments to the Constitution, proposed by the Croatian President Franjo Tudjman. One of the basic proposed changes to the Constitution is the constitutional ban on the establishment of associations between Croatia and other states which could lead to the revival of the Yugoslav state union or some Balkan state association. The proposed changes also include the omission of some unnecessary regulations from the Constitution adopted in 1990, when Croatia was still part of the then Yugoslavia. Those regulations stopped being valid with the establishment of Croatia's independence and sovereignty. Proposed have been also some language changes. Giving their full support for the proposed constitutional changes, members of the Committee for the Constitution and Rules from the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) especially supported the proposed ban on entering associations similar to the former Yugoslavia. The initiative aimed at introducing changes into the Constitution was also supported by Committee opposition members who also presented several objections. Committee members from the Croatian Social-Liberal Party (HSLS) asked why the initiative was being introduced right now. They also wanted to know the meaning of the constitutional ban on entering associations with other states in circumstances where the establishment of special relations between Croatia and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina was being advocated. The terms 'state' and 'republic' cannot be automatically treated as equal terms, they added. The Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) representatives said that the name 'Sabor' (Parliament) should not be changed into 'Hrvatski drzavni sabor' (Croatian State Parliament), nor should the term 'citizen' be replaced with the term 'every man'. The proposed changes and amendments to the Croatian Constitution were also supported by the Committee for National Security and Foreign Policy, as well as by the Committee for Justice, Election and Appointment. (hina) jn rm 111851 MET nov 97