ZAGREB, June 8 (Hina) - Croatia's Prime Minister Ivica Racan on Friday resolutely dismissed the disastrous assessments of his government's work, stressing the government was recording positive results.
ZAGREB, June 8 (Hina) - Croatia's Prime Minister Ivica Racan on
Friday resolutely dismissed the disastrous assessments of his
government's work, stressing the government was recording positive
results. #L#
This government has a clear programme for a mandate of four years
and it has been implementing the proclaimed policy which is not
dependant on inter-party agreements, Racan told a news conference
at which he and some government members commented on what they
described as increased pessimism and lack of confidence in one's
own forces.
The prime minister believes many bleak estimates are politically
motivated and are an expression of individual or group
frustrations, as well as of the fear that the incumbent authorities
will prove successful.
Racan said his statement was not motivated exclusively by the
criticism recently levelled at the government by the president of
the state. Racan said he agreed with some of President Stjepan
Mesic's objections but could not accept his claim that the
government was not implementing the proclaimed policy.
The prime minister presented a series of data supporting his claim
that the government was on the right track. Industrial production
in the first four months of 2001 increased by 6.6 percent in
relation to the same period last year, with the processing industry
having risen by 8.7 percent. He also pointed to good conditions for
the development of small businesses, a low increase of food prices
of two percent, a low inflation rate, good tourist results (a 27
percent increase of foreign arrivals in the first five months of
this year) and expectations that this year's economic growth will
be higher than four percent.
Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac said leading international credit
rating agencies estimated that Croatia's economy was coming out of
a period of depression and that it was stable and promising.
Racan and his first deputy Goran Granic emphasised the government
was operating as one body and that it was making decisions without
political rifts, regardless of the turbulent political
circumstances it was operating in.
The government's main weak point is insufficient resoluteness "as
regards opposition to reforms" and too much time lost in dealing
with some economic and personnel issues. The government will be
more decisive in defending its strategic course as well as in
calling to account all those responsible for Croatia's progress, he
said.
The government will continue to resolutely fight factionalism and
partyism and the allocation of offices according to party
preferences, Racan said, adding the government could prove this
with yesterday's decision to replace the newly-appointed
management board of the ACI marina.
Asked about Drazen Budisa's recent critical statements regarding
the Slobodna Dalmacija daily and his claims that communist methods
had been used in the replacement of the daily's former editorial
board, First Deputy Prime Minister Granic said he would not be in
the government if it adopted a decision reminiscent of communist
methods. "This government did not make any decision reminiscent of
communism or I would not be part of it for a minute," he said.
Racan said Croatia's political scene was marked by lack of
tolerance, dictate and radical criticism by the Left, the targets
of which were himself and the government. Speaking about the
Slobodna Dalmacija case, Racan said the government wanted to help
the daily's financial consolidation and not determine its
editorial policy.
The prime minister agreed with claims that criticism was not coming
only from the Opposition ranks but from within the coalition as
well. He added, though, that he was not speaking on behalf of the
coalition but the government.
"The government's survival depends primarily on the government
itself and only then on the situation within the coalition," he
said.
(hina) sb rml