ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - The new chief of the International Monetary Fund mission to Croatia, Dimitri Demekas, has said that the main objective of a new stand-by deal with Zagreb will be the reduction of risks to which Croatia is
exposed because of its rising foreign debt.
usluge-Bankarstvo-Makrogospodarstvo
ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - The new chief of the International Monetary
Fund mission to Croatia, Dimitri Demekas, has said that the main
objective of a new stand-by deal with Zagreb will be the reduction of
risks to which Croatia is exposed because of its rising foreign debt.#L#
Croatia is one of the most successful countries not only in its close
region but also in central Europe, but for the few recent years it has
lived beyond its means, the IMF official said. We have not come here
because of a crisis, but our priority is to halt a rise in the
Croatian foreign debt, Demekas said on Wednesday after his talks with
Croatia's Prime Minister Ivo Sanader in Zagreb.
The IMF mission chief went on to say that representatives of Croatia
and the Fund would try to find solutions in talks in next ten days.
In this context he pointed to the fiscal and budgetary policy as being
of key importance for the accomplishment of the objective.
What we have seen so far is a good starting position for the talks,
Demekas said adding that the second round of the talks between the
Fund and Croatian officials would be held in late May. Unit then the
talks on a new stand-by arrangement could be completed, the IMF
mission chief said and added that the new deal would cover a period of
18 months.
PM Sanader was very satisfied with Tuesday's talks with the IMF
delegation and their opinion on the situation in Croatia.
"We had good, pleasant and meaningful talks on our plans," Sanader
said.
He added that his cabinet was very well aware of what was good and
what was bad, including a high foreign debt, in Croatia.
The PM went on to say that the arrival of the IMF mission should not
be viewed as the arrival of a delegation which would admonish Croatia
or tell Croatia what to do.
"We are partners and we would like to use the know-how and good advice
of IMF experts," the Croatian PM said.
The mission arrived in Zagreb on Tuesday when it began talks with
Croatian representatives on the new stand-by deal. It will be in
Croatia in the next ten days, and is scheduled to meet Sanader again
at the start of next week.
(Hina) ms