GOVT. ENDORSES BILL OF AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL HOLIDAYS LAW

ZAGREB, Aug 30 (Hina) - At Thursday's closed-door session the government endorsed a motion by MP Ivo Skrabalo on amendments to the law on national holidays, the government's media and public relations service said in a statement. Under this final bill of amendments, Oct. 8 will be marked as Independence Day, while Statehood Day, May 30, will be marked as a memorial day. The bill also moves renaming Homeland Gratitude Day, Aug. 5, as Victory Day. The bill will not increase the number of non- working days in a year. Also at today's session the government okayed signing a EUR98 million loan agreement between the Rijeka-Zagreb Highway enterprise and Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau from Frankfurt, for the completion of works on the Kupjak-Vrbovsko section. The government will sign a EUR180 million collateral agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to finance the Vukova Gorica-Vrbovsko section of the Rijeka-Zagreb highway. The realisation of said loans confirms Croatia's very good credit rating and fully closes the financial package of the highway project, the government statement read. At her own request, Jasminka Keser was relieved of duty as assistant finance minister, and Srecko Kolesar as assistant tourism minister. (hina) ha