MESIC MEETS 'INA' OIL COMPANY'S UNIONISTS

ZAGREB, Feb 3 (Hina) - Stipe Mesic, the candidate of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) supported with other parties in the block with the HNS at the Croatian presidential election, on Thursday held a meeting with unionists of the INA, the Croatian oil public company. Their talks revolved around the privatisation of the state-run companies, particularly of plans for the privatisation of INA. Mesic stressed that the Croatian economy was damaged with the wrong model of privatisation. The term privatisation covers both the transformation of the socially-owned property and the process of privatisation, although those are two separate notions, Mesic explained. The HNS candidate at the Croatian presidential run-off next Monday, added that firms had been sold to fake new owners, the privatisation and the ownership transformation were united and society swindlers became new owners although they did not pay a penny. They did not prove as managers and the result of this is the destroyed economy and layoffs. The wrong state policy led the country toward isolation and European countries were proclaimed to be (Croatia's) enemies, Mesic said. He reiterated that the strategic goals of the new authorities should be Croatia's entry to NATO and the European Union. The leader of the INA trade union, Bozo Mikus, said the privatisation was currently the most important issue for both workers and the management of this company. In this context, Mesic stressed that the state was a bad master and should be excluded from the ownership. (hina) ms