PICULA OPTIMISTIC ABOUT OUTCOME OF BRUSSELS FUNDING CONFERENCE

BRUSSELS, March 30 (Hina) - "We believe that most projects Croatia has proposed for funding will find their sponsors by the end of the day," Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula told a group of Croatian reporters in Brussels on Thursday. Countries-donors and representatives of international financial institutions attending the Stability Pact's Regional Funding Conference in Brussels today announced financial support for projects which were suggested by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A special working group should prepare the final drafts of financial arrangements for the closing part of the conference. Picula told reporters that in the afternoon part of the session he would present a joint statement on behalf of Albania, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Slovenia, Montenegro and Croatia requesting the financing of a feasibility study for the construction of the Adriatic-Ionian highway. According to Picula, of a total of 60 projects which Croatia had initially proposed, a much smaller number was proposed for funding at the Brussels conference. The final results of financial arrangements adopted at the conference will be known at the end of the conference, on Thursday evening. As regards the financing of projects from the area of Working Table I (democracy, human rights), potential donors were mostly interested in financing the return of refugees to Croatia. The European Commission, United States, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway and Germany announced their active participation in the financing of the programme of refugee return, Picula said. Denmark expressed readiness to finance a comparative study on national minorities in Croatia. As regards Working Table II (reconstruction and economy), the EIB is expected to provide most funds, and in that way start its activities in Croatia. Senior EIB officials told Picula an EIB technical mission would soon visit Zagreb. "I believe the EIB will open its office or representation in Zagreb around July this year," Picula said. As regards Working Table III (security), according to Picula, the conference expressed interest in financing mine-clearance projects, especially those of the Mine Action Centres in Obrovac and Sisak. Several donor-countries have expressed specific interest in securing funds for the financing of mine-clearance centres in the southern Croatian town of Obrovac and Sisak (50 km south-east of Zagreb). (hina) jn rml