HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HARSHLY CRITICISES HRT BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

ZAGREB, June 15 (Hina) - Representatives of the Croatian National Sabor's House of Representatives during Thursday's discussion on a report on the work of the Croatian Radio television (HRT) mostly criticised the work of the Croatian Television (HT) in 1999. Representatives frequently criticised the fact that reports of the HRT management and the State Audit Office for business activities of the HRT were disharmonious. According to the report of the management, the profit of the HRT in 1999 amounted to 4.5 million kuna (DM1.1 million) while the audit report points to the loss worth 120 million kuna (DM30 million). Business activities of the HRT were not successful, Petar Turcinovic said on behalf of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) parliamentary bench. The HRT incurred losses, citizens are dissatisfied with the high prices of the subscribtion and the programme, employees are dissatisfied, and the concept of work is completely unclear, he stressed. Representatives of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) criticised the HRT for being prodigal. Either the new management is unreal and it dramatises too much or the report underwent a "makeover", said Anto Kovacevic of the Croatian Party of Rights/Croatian Christian Democratic Union parliamentary bench. He criticised the new authorities and said that apart from replacing several reporters and editors it had not done anything to fix the situation in the HRT. Independent representative Ivo Loncar also expressed criticism about the new authorities. For years, secret services in the HT worked for the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and against the democracy, and the new authorities gave an opportunity to those same agents to change for the better. According to Loncar, "this is like trying to train a fox not to chase chickens". (hina) it