DAILY: WUNENBURGER DID SAY POSTPONEMENT OF AVIS POSSIBLE

ZAGREB, March 31 (Hina) - The head of the European Commission Delegation, Jacques Wunenberger, did say in his interview with Jutarnji List that a postponement of Croatia's 'avis' was possible, reads a statement the Zagreb-based daily sent Hina several hours after Wunenberger denied having made the statement.#L# In the interview which reporter Sanja Simic did with Wunenburger, the EC Delegation chief literally said that the EC would rather postpone the publishing of the avis until it was in a position to issue a positive avis, Jutarnji List said. Jutarnji List is in possession of an audio-recording of the interview and is ready to offer it to Croatian Television so that it could be reviewed live with Wunenburger, the statement said. Furthermore, Wunenburger authorised the interview with his statement about the postponement of the avis, it added. "We therefore find Wunenburger's attempt to deny the headline in Jutarnji List of March 31, which reads ' Postponement of Avis Possible', irrelevant, false and politically extremely incorrect," the daily says adding that it was obvious that the headline of the article was a quote by Wunenburger. Wunenburger previously denied the Jutarnji List article which was based on the interview with him in which he said that the EC might postpone the publication of the avis until positive political changes were established, primarily in the field of cooperation with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, as it wanted to have a basis for a positive opinion. Wunenburger said that this was not true and that he was surprised with the headline, which he considered unfair and not reflecting the substance of the interview. He added that the EC position had not changed and that it still intended to publish the avis in spring. (Hina) rml sb