MINE ACTION OFFICIAL APPLAUDS NATIONAL ANTI-MINE ACTIVITY PROGRAMME

SISAK, Sept 8 (Hina) - Croatian Mine Action Centre (HCR) manager Damir Gorseta told Hina on Friday he was "very satisfied" with the government's support to a draft anti-mine activity national programme and HCR's performance. Gorseta said the government in yesterday's debate raised no objections to the programme but pointed to "the need of ensuring funds, not only from the state budget, but from other sources as well, foreign donations, favourable international loans, and foreign assistance in manpower and technology in the humanitarian demining process." "By adopting the national programme, the government and parliament assume an active and significant part in managing the demining system," he told Hina. Gorseta believes "the national programme offers a realistic overview of the entire demining system, determining all shortcomings and suggestions aimed at improving demining." "The HCR Council has suggested and the government agreed that all forces should be used in demining (...) reintroducing the engineering units of the Croatian Army, which has means, manpower, methods, and experience in demining," he said. HCR's manager added it had been agreed to amend current legislation "to make it possible for foreign forces to engage in demining in Croatia, and to exempt foreign donations from paying tariffs on the import of state-of-the-art demining equipment." The idea is also "to introduce a zero tax rate on demining, and to exempt foreign donations for humanitarian demining from Value Added Tax," he added. According to Gorseta, about 35 square kilometres of mine-infested Croatian territory will be demined this year for 226 million kuna ($27 million), including 65 million ($7.74 million) to be earmarked from the state budget. The rest will come from a World Bank loan and $2.5 million in foreign donations. About 200 square kilometres of Croatian territory have been demined since 1995. HCR data say 500 square kilometres are certainly mine- infested, while about 4,500 are feared to be. Under the national programme, with the demining of 50 square kilometres a year, the use of all available potential, and international community assistance Croatia could be demined by 2010. (hina) ha