FOREIGN MINISTRY REFUSES TO COMMENT ON CHARGES AGAINST ZAJA

ZAGREB, Oct 10 (Hina) - Croatia's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday declined to comment on the application of charges against a former secretary of the ministry and the incumbent Croatian ambassador in Paris, Marko Zaja, who is suspected of having concluding a (business) contract to the detriment of the ministry. Zagreb police today informed that in June 1998, Marko Zaja, who was the then acting secretary of the Foreign Ministry, concluded, although he was not authorised, an annex to the contract on the lease of a restaurant on the premises of the ministry. Under the annex, the lessee had to pay 500 kuna of the rent per month instead of the previous rent of 12,000 kuna. According to the police, the Ministry get less money by 11,500 kuna per month in the period from July 1998 to September this year, and it totalled 310,500 kuna. An assistant to the ministry's spokesman, Miona Sevcik, told Hina that possible reaction from the ministry could be expected tomorrow after it became acquainted with the whole case. She confirmed that Zaja was the acting secretary from March 1998 to August 1999 and that he was subsequently appointed Croatia's Ambassador to France. (hina) jn ms