LOWER HOUSE GIVES GOVT. GREEN LIGHT FOR INCURRING DEBT

ZAGREB, Sept 28 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of Representatives on Thursday adopted a law granting the government permission to incur a five billion kuna ($588 million) debt to bridge a deficit caused by a delay in the second stage of the privatisation of Croatian Telecom. The privatisation had been planned for this year, but was postponed for 2001 after it was assessed the time was not right. The lower house adopted several other laws, concluding today's work. Amendments to a law on the execution of the state budget, which allows the government permission to incur the said debt, were welcomed by MPs of the ruling six-party coalition, but criticised by the bench of the strongest opposition party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). HDZ's Ivan Suker said they would endorse the debt, but added the party believed the government should produce a draft budget revision as soon as possible since the debt significantly changed the budget. The lower house also adopted a law under which the government continued to be entitled to decree the regulation of certain issues pertaining to the lower house, albeit to a considerably smaller degree. The government will be able to do this between December 15 and January 15 and between June 30 and September 15, i.e. when the lower house is in recess, and in the period between the dissolution of the old and the first session of the new lower house. (hina) ha