ZAGREB, Sept 7 (Hina) - Croatia's government at Thursday's session formulated a draft anti-mine activity national programme whose aim is to create conditions under which demining in Croatia will be completed by 2010. The task which
requires ensuring 9.6 billion kuna ($1.143 billion) over the next ten years divided the government as to how to ensure the funds.
ZAGREB, Sept 7 (Hina) - Croatia's government at Thursday's session
formulated a draft anti-mine activity national programme whose aim
is to create conditions under which demining in Croatia will be
completed by 2010.
The task which requires ensuring 9.6 billion kuna ($1.143 billion)
over the next ten years divided the government as to how to ensure
the funds.#L#
Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic said that 8.4 billion kuna, or
one billion a year earmarked from the budget, was too much for the
state. He urged postponing the adoption of the programme and
producing a "mini-programme" for demining.
Public Works Minister Radimir Cacic agreed the amounts were too
high for the budget, as did Interior Minister Sime Lucin, who said
more focus should be placed on favourable World Bank loans and
donations.
Prime Minister Ivica Racan, his first deputy Goran Granic and
deputy Slavko Linic, and Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac said the
budget would be tapped according to possibility, and that Croatia
should strive towards ensuring the funds from other sources.
Crkvenac said the ambitious programme helped all other sources,
especially foreign ones, participate in demining, while Granic
added international financial institutions and donors should be
clearly told the government wanted to normalise Croatia within ten
years. Linic said there was a possibility to have favourable World
Bank loans transformed into non-repayable funds.
Prime Minister Racan said it was not possible to speak of
normalising living and Croatia as an attractive tourist
destination if we let it be overshadowed by the fact that left-over
mines would be Croatia's problem for the next 20-30 years. It is
unacceptable, he asserted.
A positive attitude to the programme includes fighting for every
donation, assistance, favourable loan, and not seeing it as an
exclusively budgetary obligation, said Racan.
According to data put forward by Croatian Mine Action Centre
manager Damir Gorseta, the territory believed to be mine-infested
is 4,500 square kilometres, including 500 square kilometres of
mine-fields.
The prime minister said the national programme, besides demining,
should help establish an institution which would master state-of-
the-art technology, and several companies willing to compete
internationally and demine in other countries.
(hina) ha jn