CROATIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICE BILL

ZAGREB, March 14 (Hina) - The Bill on the Croatian National Security Office, proposed by the Internal Affairs and National Security Committee, aroused long discussion at today's session of the House of Representatives. Opposition deputies said that the the adoption of the bill could "create a parallel government", and stressed that the National Security Office (UNS) should not work under instructions by the President of the Republic but in accordance with the Constitution and laws. The Opposition said that under the proposed Bill the control of the UNS's work would be reduced to one report a year to the parliamentary Internal Affairs and National Security Committee. Opposition deputies feared that the Bill would make it possible for the President of the Republic to exercise even more power and that its adoption could lead to dictatorship. A number of Opposition deputies proposed that the Bill be sent for the third reading. The session was addressed by the chairman of the Internal Affairs and National Security Committee, Luka Bebic. Bebic said that the Bill stipulated that the UNS would be obliged to submit a report to the Committee whenever the Committee deemed it necessary. The constitutional basis of the Bill was a provision of the Constitution saying that the President of Republic was to ensure that the Constitution was respected, and the Constitution provided instruments in case the President failed to do so or in case he violated the Constitution, Bebic said. The debate was to resume after the Committe took a stand on amendments to the Bill. (hina) mm vm 141703 MET mar 95