RACAN, CACIC ATTEND MEETING OF ZAGREB-SPLIT HIGHWAY COMMISSION

ZAGREB, Dec 5 (Hina) - In the next several months, Croatia will have agreements worth billions of kuna for road construction, and the government is prepared to pay constructors in advance, Prime Minister Ivica Racan and Public Works Minister Radimir Cacic said on Wednesday at a meeting of the Commission for the urgent construction of the Zagreb-Split highway with constructors, banks and representatives of local chambers of commerce. Croatian Roads company director Stanko Kovac presented the model of financing highways and announced that road toll would increase by some 15 percent as of the beginning of next year. He added that the financing model was founded on long-term bank loans. "The speedy construction of the highway is a difficult project, but this country needs difficult projects, great challenges. I don't know how else to resist the waves of desperation in this country," Prime Minister Racan said. Public tenders are ongoing for the construction of certain sections of the Zagreb-Split highway. Work should begin in march, and Racan reiterated the new highway would be completed by 2005. Cacic reiterated Racan's statement about a possible advance payment of constructors, and confirmed to bankers that the government guaranteed for the project and was willing to cover it. He said 8.6 billion German marks were planned to be invested in road construction in the next 12 years, while somewhat more than three billion marks would be invested in the construction of the Zagreb- Split highway until 2005. (hina) lml sb