ZAGREB, Feb 11 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) branch in Zagreb's Dubrava district on Tuesday marked its 14th anniversary in the presence of the highest party officials.
ZAGREB, Feb 11 (Hina) - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) branch in
Zagreb's Dubrava district on Tuesday marked its 14th anniversary in
the presence of the highest party officials.#L#
Party members and supporters were addressed by the party leader, Prime
Minister Ivo Sanader, who voiced satisfaction with the first month of
his party's rule, adding that recent opinion polls showed that the HDZ
enjoyed more support than it had at last year's parliamentary
elections.
He recalled the first party president and the first Croatian
president, Franjo Tudjman, who he said had led the party in critical
times, as well as war veterans.
Addressing war veterans' issues is not petty politics, the party's
position is that war veterans deserve the respect of every Croatian
government. The new law on war veterans' rights is being drawn up,
Sanader said, adding: "We will increase some rights, but war veterans
are willing to wait because they understand that the country has
financial burdens".
The latest unofficial report of the Croatian National Bank shows that
on December 31 last year the foreign debt totalled US24 billion,
Sanader said.
He announced that his government would continue all good projects of
the former government, including the Zagreb-Split highway, which he
said could be completed by summer next year, after which construction
works would resume to extend it towards Dubrovnik.
Croatia enjoys increasing support of the EU, Sanader said dismissing
media reports that the United States was exerting pressure on Croatia
during US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld's visit to Zagreb last
weekend. "There was no pressure whatsoever, but rather understanding
and support for Croatia's admission into NATO," Sanader said.
He called on the HDZ's parliamentary deputies to announce as soon as
possible the schedule of meetings with citizens.
Participants in the event were also addressed by Health Minister
Andrija Hebrang, who said that the government would take care so that
adjustment to European standards did not affect the living standards
of citizens. He said that the cancellation of the additional health
insurance plan would not lead to lower health care standards and that
all people above the age of 65 would be exempt from paying
prescription and health care fees.
The meeting was also addressed by the Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Family and War Veterans' Affairs and Inter-Generation
Solidarity, Jadranka Kosor.
A party delegation yesterday laid wreaths at a monument to Croatian
soldiers in Dubrava and the grave of the late President Franjo Tudjman
at Zagreb's central cemetery of Mirogoj.
(Hina) rml