CROATIAN BUDGET DEFICIT 2.6 BILLION KUNA IN FIRST SEVEN MONTHS

ZAGREB, Sept 28 (Hina) - Croatia's state budget in July registered a deficit of 1.37 billion kuna, raising the entire deficit for the first seven months of 2000 to 2.66 billion kuna. In the first seven months of this year, the entire revenue was 25.63 billion kuna, and the expenditure totalled 28.29 billion, according to figures released in a monthly bulletin of Croatian Finance Ministry. As the capital revenue will be smaller than planned owing to the postponement of the second stage of the privatisation of the 'Hrvatski Telekom' company for the next year, the Government has forwarded to the Sabor draft amendments to the budget execution act. According to the draft changes the Government will be authorised to bridge a gap due to insufficient income through a new debt of five billion kuna. A week ago, Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac said all preparations for that loan worth 400 million US dollars had been done and the first instalment of $250 million could be taken very soon after necessary legal amendments be adopted. The loan will be used for the financing of the budget, he explained. According to the Ministry's figures, in July the budget revenue came to 4.26 billion kuna, and the spent allocated means totalled 5.62 billion. (hina) ms