RACAN SPEAKS AT CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN RIJEKA

RIJEKA, Oct 12 (Hina) - The president of the Social Democratic Party and Croatia's Prime Minister, Ivica Racan, said on Sunday that the success of the next government would be the reduction of the current number of unemployed people (300,000) by half. #L# "The government must be even more successful in combating corruption, and it is particularly important that members of the incumbent government refused to use their position for personal material gain," Racan said at the SDP campaign trail called "Tell Us Everything" in the northern Adriatic city of Rijeka. He said the party only partially failed to fulfil two electoral promises - not all responsible for the 1990-2000 plundering were brought to justice and Value Added Tax was not reduced. He said that the criminal prosecution of those responsible for the plundering did not take place "partially because of the need to preserve legality and the macroeconomic stability of the country after the coalition government came into power, because extraordinary measures could lead to extraordinary situations". The PM said the plundering was made possible by the law. Racan confirmed that the construction of the highway to Dubrovnik and the Istrian highway grid would be completed by 2008. (hina) it