GOVT: DAILY MISQUOTES HEBRANG'S STATEMENT ON PLAN FOR SET-UP OF A NATIONAL BANK

ZAGREB, May 6 (Hina) - The Croatian government has responded to the misquotation of Deputy Prime Minister Andrija Hebrang's statement on a possible project for establishing a strong state-run development bank, saying that Hebrang did not in any way say that foreign banks were halting domestic investments. #L# A national daily reported in its Thursday issue in an article headlined "Foreign Banks Halt Domestic Investments" that during his interview with a local radio station Hebrang had criticised banks 95 percent owned by foreign financial institutions. Speaking about the project for creating a strong state-owned bank for development, Hebrang did not say that this was the unanimous opinion of the Government but he said that the Government had not yet discussed the matter and that he expressed his own position, the government said in a statement refuting the daily's allegations. Hebrang did not at all speak about foreign banks halting domestic investments, the government added. Commenting on the possible establishment of a state-run bank for development, Hebrang said that every state, including Croatia, should have such a national bank. Any other interpretations of the statement by the Deputy Prime Minister do not correspond to the truth, the government said. (Hina) ms