Hebrang was responding to a question by Social Democrat Zeljka Antunovic, who wanted to know how the government planned to provide for 700 HT workers, who she said would be laid off due to the government's decision on the withdrawal of two billion kuna worth of company profit.
Responding to more inquiries from the Social Democrats about the latest stand-by arrangement with the IMF, Hebrang said that no article of the arrangement had been drawn up due to pressure from the IMF and that the government's strategy was transparency of talks with the IMF.
He repeated that the arrangement was the result of the former government's leaving behind a budgetary deficit of seven billion kuna.
Members of the government dismissed claims by the opposition that the arrangement would result in the discontinuation of infrastructure projects.
The construction of the Zagreb-Dubrovnik highway continues and bids for the construction of the Split-Ploce section will soon be invited. Documents for the construction of the Komarna-Peljesac bridge will be collected by the end of this year and construction works could start in mid-2005, said the state secretary at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Communications, Branko Bacic.
Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor gave no answer to Social Democrat Marija Lugaric's question whether it was true that the government would reduce the number of products which are exempt from VAT, such as milk, bread, textbooks, medicines, etc.
If these reports prove to be true, the price of the said products could increase by 18 percent, Lugaric said.