CROATIA IS MANAGED BY IMF - OPPOSITION OFFICIAL

SPLIT, March 1 (Hina) - The president of the opposition Democratic Centre (DC) said on Saturday Croatia was managed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and that "the Croatian government has been left with the role of fire-fighter on call for strikes and minor issues in the state". #L# "Because of 100 million dollars the government has enabled the IMF to rule Croatia again, and on its directives (state oil company) INA will be privatised, 5,000 soldiers will be laid off from the HV (armed forces), and so on," Mate Granic told a news conference. He said the government did not have a clear economic vision and that this was why privatisation scandals happened, as in the case of the Suncani Hvar hotel company and the ironworks in Sisak, while nobody was being replaced. "The DC seeks that privatisation be stopped altogether, and we have received parliamentary support for this, because we think the privatisation problem should be addressed by a new government that will have credibility, unlike this one." Granic said the DC was against the current bill of amendments to the Labour Act as it was detrimental to workers. "A new government should finish this document as well because the unions no longer trust the incumbent one." Granic also rejected an electoral bill moved by the Social Democrats, saying the DC would move its own. (hina) ha