PRIME MINISTER RACAN DISMISSES MEDIA CLAIMS ON BANKS

ZAGREB, April 15 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan on Sunday night dismissed Saturday's statement by a member of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Hrvoje Zoric, and media claims that problems similar to the one of Rijecka banka existed in other banks in Croatia. #L# "The Croatian government and I personally have no information at this time that anything similar to what unfortunately happened in Rijecka banka, was happening in another bank, Privredna banka, or any other," Racan told the Croatian Television. "Everything else is frivolous speculation, hasty political claims and rumours which can cause great damage, both to individual banks and the state," he said. Racan said that half-truths leaked in the public from a working meeting with the Croatian National Bank (HNB) governor, Zeljko Rohatinski. "It is correct that at this meeting, and in general, I asked the HNB to sharpen control, carry out a better audit of all banks' transactions just in case, so that the Rijecka banka case would not occur somewhere else," Racan said. It is, therefore, "nor responsible to draw whatever was said at that meeting out of context," he said. (hina) lml