HOME POLICY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN COMMENTS ON DALMATIA FIRES

DIVULJE, Aug 3 (Hina) - Fires that have raged in Dalmatia and other coastal areas in the last seven days have caused extensive damage and prompted controversial comments on their causes, the chairman of the parliamentary Home Policy and National Security Committee, Ante Markov, said on Sunday. Statements such as those that a form of special warfare is being waged against Croatia are unfounded and should not be made without presenting evidence, Markov told a press conference at the National Fire Centre in Divulje near the southern city of Split. We will ask security services to look into the causes of fires, but considering the situation in other countries, it is evident that the main causes of fires were climatic conditions, he added. Markov said that only six minor fires were suspected to have been caused by arsonists. He added that the causes of fires on the islands of Brac, Hvar and Bisevo were still being investigated and that people should not be making statements that were detrimental to the tourist industry. He said that the government should encourage the cultivation of olives as olive plantations would prevent fires from spreading. Responding to a journalist's question, Markov said that the scale of fires was not such as to require foreign assistance. The fires on Brac and Hvar are under control and there is no danger of their spreading. The fire on Bisevo has been put out, Markov said. He dismissed as untrue reports that two-thirds of Bisevo were burned, saying that most of the agricultural crops were saved. (hina) vm