MEMORANDUM ON PAN-EUROPEAN TRANSPORT CORRIDOR 10 SIGNED

ZAGREB, March 15 (Hina) - Croatia's Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications, Alojz Tusek, signed in Salonika on Thursday a Memorandum on Consent to the Development of the Pan- European Transport Corridor 10, which Croatia holds the most important transport corridor, the Ministry said in a statement. #L# Apart from Croatia, the document was also signed by other countries the corridor runs through: Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Greece. The memorandum will subsequently be signed by the European Commission as well. The Pan-European Corridor 10, which links West Europe with its south-east parts is defined by the main route - Salzburg - Ljubljana - Zagreb - Belgrade - Nis - Skoplje - Veles - Salonika and its branch A Graz - Maribor - Zagreb, branch B Budapest - Belgrade, C Nis - Sofia and D Veles - Florina. The corridor includes roads, railways, points linking internal navigation routes, as well as air, maritime and combined routes. The corridor's railway line is completely modernised and allows driving at a speed of 160 km/ph, whereas the road structure remains to be completed at two sections in Croatia - Velika Kopanica - Lipovac and Krapina - Macelj. Considering the quantity of freight and the number of passengers, the corridor, which includes some 300 kilometres of roads and railway lines, is the most important Pan-European route for Croatia. Until 1990, the corridor accounted for 60 percent of the Croatian Railways turnover. The company's turnover today accounts for 20 percent of its pre-war turnover. Wishing to improve international transport of goods and passengers and connect to the European Union's trans-European transport network, the signatories to the Memorandum support the use of the most efficient and environmentally acceptable forms of transport and wish to promote the establishment of joint border control and customs cooperation with the aim of reducing delays on border crossings. Before the signing of the document, a Croatian delegation, led by Minister Tusek, met Yugoslav representatives, who were headed by Transport Minister Zoran Sami. The two sides discussed transit fees and permits for Croatian and Yugoslav transport companies, the de- mining of river beds, navigation along the Danube and, in particular, the introduction and opening of the Sava navigation route for international traffic and integration into the Pan- European Corridor 7 (the Danube River). The Yugoslav side stressed the need for linking the opening of the Sava for traffic with the issue of navigation on the Danube but the Croatian delegation insisted that the problem of navigation on the Sava be dealt with separately, which the other side accepted in principle. (hina) rml