ZAGREB, Dec 18 (Hina) - Nobody is forcing the government to sign a new deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but the government suggests doing it because it is in Croatia's interest, Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac said in
parliament on Wednesday.
ZAGREB, Dec 18 (Hina) - Nobody is forcing the government to sign a
new deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but the
government suggests doing it because it is in Croatia's interest,
Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac said in parliament on Wednesday.
#L#
Following his address, parliament changed the agenda of today's
extraordinary session and returned to debating the government's
national programme for Croatia's association with the EU.
The parties' bench representatives held a second meeting today,
this one without the parliament president, and decided to resume
discussing the national programme, president Zlatko Tomcic said
before adding, somewhat resigned, "so much about the parliament
president's authority".
The "culprit" for the resumption of the national programme is
reportedly the Social Liberal Party.
The benches initially agreed parliament should interrupt the
debate on the national programme and start discussing the IMF deal.
In the meantime, a task force would draw up a joint resolution on
association with the EU.
Speaking of the new, fourth agreement with the IMF which would last
14 months and be worth some US$140 million, the finance minister
said Croatia would not lose anything by not adopting but get a lot by
adopting the deal.
Among the things to be gained are stronger international
confidence, a considerable increase in credibility on capital
markets, and a stronger position with regard to the EU, said
Crkvenac.
He reiterated several times the stand-by agreement did not
determine Croatia's economic policy for 2003. The government
formulated the elements of that policy before the deal was
considered, he stressed.
The minister recalled the 2003 economic policy envisaged a further
reduction of the budgetary deficit, high macro-economic stability,
high solvency, and further cuts in interest rates, among other
things.
Claims that Croatia is in the grips of chaos and disaster are
groundless, as are mentions of Argentina, said Crkvenac, adding
that Europe and its financiers had denied this after estimating
that Croatia was entering 2003 with above-average results.
The minister said the stand-by deal with the IMF in pre-election
year reflected the wish to ensure the continuation of the current
economic policy and to avoid possible financial steps currying
favour with the electorate.
(hina) ha sb