ZAGREB, Nov 14 (Hina) - Vecernji list daily's Supervisory Board head Marijan Kostrencic on Tuesday refuted allegations which appeared in Tuesday's issues of the press that an Austrian company called Styria gave up plans to buy this
Croatian daily. I was in Graz last Friday when I talked with Styria Director Horst Pirker and on that occasion there was no mention at all about Styria's abandonment, Kostrencic told Hina answering a question whether claims published in 'Slobodna Dalmacija' daily about the matter were correct. The Split-based daily today cited sources from Austrian diplomatic circles as saying that Styria had definitely decided to abandon plans to buy "Vecernji List" a month before. According to this paper, Styria has opted for the take-over of a Slovenian newspaper, "Vecer", while there are speculations in Croatian government and media circles that German company 'WAZ' ha
ZAGREB, Nov 14 (Hina) - Vecernji list daily's Supervisory Board
head Marijan Kostrencic on Tuesday refuted allegations which
appeared in Tuesday's issues of the press that an Austrian company
called Styria gave up plans to buy this Croatian daily.
I was in Graz last Friday when I talked with Styria Director Horst
Pirker and on that occasion there was no mention at all about
Styria's abandonment, Kostrencic told Hina answering a question
whether claims published in 'Slobodna Dalmacija' daily about the
matter were correct.
The Split-based daily today cited sources from Austrian diplomatic
circles as saying that Styria had definitely decided to abandon
plans to buy "Vecernji List" a month before. According to this
paper, Styria has opted for the take-over of a Slovenian newspaper,
"Vecer", while there are speculations in Croatian government and
media circles that German company 'WAZ' has made a secret offer to
take over "Vecernji list".
Kostrencic added that in the past, Styria showed interest in the
take-over of Maribor-based "Vecer" and that deals about "Vecernji
list" and "Vecer" had never been mutually conditioned.
As regards WAZ, Kostrencic said he had nothing against it but only
if Styria backed off from the deal.
According to him, during last week's meeting in Graz, Styria's
director voiced dissatisfaction with the Croatian Institute for
Pensions Insurance's (HZMO) failure to carry out its own decision
on rescinding temporary measures prohibiting dealing with Vecernji
list shares, as this ban made it impossible for Styria to enter
Croatia's largest circulation daily.
In May this year, the HZMO Institute asked for that ban in order to
check whether the Institute, as the former owner, was damaged
during the sale of shares to the incumbent owner of the daily -
Caritas Fund. The Commercial Court made such a ruling. In the end of
August, the Government suggested the HZMO Institute to ask the lift
of the ban, but the latter has failed to do so to date.
The HZMO head Dunja Vidosevic said she could not withdraw the
measures of the ban, without oral consent of Deputy Premier Slavko
Linic, although her lawyers have advised her to rescind that
measure and the suit against Caritas Fund," Kostrencic asserted.
He added that several days ago he had tried to contact Linic but did
not manage to reach the Government's senior official. "Obviously,
politics is again interfering in the work of a state institution,
i.e. the Pension Insurance Institute," Kostrencic claimed.
"The moment for the withdrawal of temporary measures for the ban on
availability of Vecernji list shares is an issue of strategy in the
conduct of the process on which lawyers decide," HZMO spokeswoman
Ivona Rezo said, adding the time period for rescinding that measure
was not defined.
In April this year, Styria announced its intention to buy the
Croatian daily for 26 million German marks.
(hina) jn ms