ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Hina) - Croatia's oil company INA issued a statement on Wednesday reacting to "incorrect information and arbitrary interpretations given without arguments" in today's Jutarnji list daily in an article headlined "Secret
Commission of US$240,000 for Import of Qaddafi's Oil".
ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Hina) - Croatia's oil company INA issued a statement
on Wednesday reacting to "incorrect information and arbitrary
interpretations given without arguments" in today's Jutarnji list
daily in an article headlined "Secret Commission of US$240,000 for
Import of Qaddafi's Oil". #L#
The statement reads that it is "completely unfair to negatively
bring the visit of a Croatian political and economic delegation
with President Stjepan Mesic at the helm to Libya at all into
connection with the purchase of oil from that state for the needs of
the Croatian market".
Representatives of INA as well as other members of the Croatian
delegation had exhaustive talks with representatives of Libya's
state oil company but no contract was signed, the statement said,
adding that the talks had provided a good foundation for future
business contacts.
"It is therefore untrue that any contracts on the purchase of Libyan
oil were signed on that occasion".
All other ventures involving the purchase of Libyan oil are being
conducted in compliance with the law, the statement read, adding
that the INA management would carefully consider all factors
involved in the purchase of Libyan oil.
The statement makes no mention of Jutarnji list allegations about
the amount of commission for the purchase of Libyan oil or about
quantity.
INA has announced that "because of the slander, untruths and lies
against INA and its management, (INA) will take all the necessary
steps against all those relaying false information".
Jutarnji editor-in-chief Tomislav Wruss said today he had been
surprised by the tone of President Mesic's statement, who said the
design and editing of the article was "sheer impudence", "rubbish"
and "in the service of somebody's policy".
Jutarnji stands behind its article, Wruss told Hina, adding that it
remained unclear why a mediator unknown to the public had been
engaged in the realisation of the deal between INA and the Libyan
state oil company, namely how a person working for commission had
happened to be engaged in an already arranged venture.
Croatian Journalists Association president Dragutin Lucic
described Mesic's reaction to the article as exaggerated and
impermissible. The language Mesic used does not contribute to the
culture of dialogue, Lucic told Hina.
(hina) ha sb