BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO.4816 HINA Zagreb, 27 November 2002

HR-POLITICS-Politika BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO.4816 HINA Zagreb, 27 November 2002 GOVERNMENT REDUCING BUDGETARY EXPENDITUREZAGREB, Nov 27 (Hina) - The Croatian government's coordinating bodies have not accepted in their entirety any amendments MPs have submitted to a draft state budget for 2003, but some amendments which propose the reduction of expenditure in some budgetary items have been accepted in part, Deputy Finance Minister Damir Kustrak said on Wednesday. The government will propose its own amendments aimed at keeping the budget deficit at a maximum five percent of Gross Domestic Product, he said. Reducing the deficit to five percent, which entails reducing planned budgetary spending by some 250 million kuna (EUR33.8 million), is also a condition set by the International Monetary Fund for the signing of a new stand-by arrangement. Kustrak reiterated the government wished to sign the agreement, but estimated it was unlikely to occur this year and was probable early in 2