SPLIT, March 14 (Hina) - Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister Slavko Linic said in Split on Friday the government was not scrapping reforms in the last year of its term even though it did not know how the electorate would respond.
SPLIT, March 14 (Hina) - Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister Slavko
Linic said in Split on Friday the government was not scrapping
reforms in the last year of its term even though it did not know how
the electorate would respond. #L#
Linic said businessmen did not need to worry as the government would
continue supporting investments in the economy and carry out
reforms although relations within the ruling coalition were
"complex".
This is normal in every state in pre-election time when every party
tries to take the best position, Linic said, adding the government
was not afraid of the fallout.
Linic said developments in Serbia following the assassination of
Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic on Wednesday would reflect
negatively on Croatia's economy "because we have just started
opening the market there and now everything has come to a halt".
Linic asserted the government had stopped all the negative trends
and turned them into a positive direction. Curbing unemployment
took the longest but over the last year "we have managed that as well
and the number of the jobless is at the level before this government
came into power".
"You're pointing your finger at me, not for the first time, but I'm
saying again that I've been doing my job honourably, both before,
when I was mayor or Rijeka, and now as deputy prime minister. I don't
own either a house or a company, even though in recent years I have
been insulted many times. I do not renounce my friends either in
Rijeka or elsewhere, but to link me with various ventures and
scandals is truly disgraceful," said Linic.
(hina) ha sb