MANOLIC ADAMANT IN REFUSING TO CALL HOUSE OF COUNTIES WITHIN WEEK

ZAGREB, Apr 14 (Hina) - House of Counties Speaker Josip Manolic on Thursday rejected a request for calling a session of the House within 8 days, made by a group of (mostly HDZ) members on Wednesday. The request urged the Speaker to call a session to deal with a number of items of the last session's agenda that had not been addressed before the session broke up. The session broke up on 25 March because the Speaker refused to place a motion for his replacement on that day's agenda. The motion was tabled by the Croatian Democratic Unin (HDZ) Bench, following a 24 March session of the HDZ Presidency, which relieved Manolic of his party offices. The Commission on Constitution, Standing Orders and Legislation has since resolved the dispute in favour of the HDZ Bench. Invoking the Standing Orders, Manolic said in his refusal that he "did not see any reason for calling a session within 8 days." He further clarified his position by specifying that "he would call the session when he deemed necessary for the fulfillment of the House's function according to the Constitution." According to Manolic, the items that had not been addressed at the March 25 session referred to bills that required the opinion of the House of Counties only in the final stage of procedure in the House of Representatives. Therefore, the timing of the debate is immaterial to the matter in hand, since the opinion of the House of Counties on these bills would be irrelevant at this stage (first reading), said Manolic, adding that the House of Representatives had concluded its session on April 8. Manolic concluded by announcing that he would call the next upper house session of the House one day before the session of the House of Representatives, as is customary. 141958 MET apr 94