CROATIA, HUNGARY SIGN AGREEMENT ON BORDER BRIDGES

ZAGREB, April 19 (Hina) - Croatian and Hungarian officials signed an agreement on the use and maintenance of road bridges on the joint state border at the Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications on Thursday. The document, signed by Croatia's Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications, Alojz Tusek, and Hungary's Transport and Water Management Minister Janos Fonagy, defines the models of maintenance of road bridges linking the two countries over the Mura and Drava rivers. Croatian and Hungarian officials today discussed the construction and completion of the Budapest-Zagreb-Rijeka road, cooperation between the Hungarian and Croatian railway companies and combined container traffic. The two sides will in May define the model under which the Croatian Railways will pay the Hungarian Railways a debt amounting to several million Swiss francs. The debt is already being reduced by the Croatian Railways renting five engines to the Hungarian Railways, Tusek said. Considering that Hungary currently directs its container traffic toward the German port of Hamburg, Croatia has offered Hungary to direct its container traffic via Croatia, that is, use Croatian feeder service, Tusek said. The two sides today also discussed cooperation between their respective post services and the distribution of the Hungarian press during the tourist season. The Hungarian officials will tomorrow hold talks with the Rijeka port authorities and Rijeka county and municipal officials. (hina) sb rml