ZAGREB, July 3 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday ratified an agreement between the Croatian and Slovene governments on status and other legal relations regulating investing in, the use and dismantling of the Krsko nuclear
power plant.
ZAGREB, July 3 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament on Wednesday
ratified an agreement between the Croatian and Slovene governments
on status and other legal relations regulating investing in, the
use and dismantling of the Krsko nuclear power plant. #L#
Eighty MPs voted in favour of the agreement, 41 were against, while
nine abstained.
Most MPs of the five-party ruling coalition voted for the
ratification. The HSLS (Social Liberals) bench was divided - six
MPs voted in favour, including Goranko Fizulic and Ivo Skrabalo,
nine were against, and eight abstained.
HSLS president Drazen Budisa said yesterday that all who voted
contrary to the party agreement, i.e. raised their hands for the
ratification, would be ousted from the party.
The ratification was voted against by the opposition's Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ), Croatian Party of Rights (HSP), Christian
Democrats (HKDU), Democratic Centre (DC), and independent MP Ivo
Loncar. Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Assembly voted in
favour, as did minority representative Milan Djukic.
A law approving the Krsko deal contains an amendment, moved by the
ruling five parties, stipulating that parliament controls the
performance of Croatia's delegation in a Croatian-Slovene
commission on the power plant, particularly in connection with the
protection of nature and people's health.
Parliament adopted a conclusion binding the government to take all
measures within its competence to have the Krsko deal go into effect
as soon as possible. If conditions for this are not met by Jan. 1,
2003, the Croatian parliament will consider the need of rescinding
the law ratifying the Krsko deal.
The Slovene parliament has not ratified the agreement and will
probably not do so before the autumn.
If the two sides had ratified the deal by the July 1 deadline,
Croatia would have recommenced taking electricity from the power
plant after four years.
The Krsko deal was signed late last year and was aimed at securing a
long-term, hefty supply of electricity for Croatia, as well as
reducing, i.e. postponing new investments.
Under the agreement, each state should receive half the electricity
produced at Krsko, i.e. around 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours per
year.
Both sides would divide the costs.
(hina) ha sb