CROATIA IS IN CONTACT WITH DONOR COUNTRIES FOR MINE-CLEARING

ZAGREB/SISAK, Jan 15 (Hina) - Project documentation for clearing of mines of the Lovas and Dragalic municipalities for which the European Union has set aside funds was completed Friday, and a tender will be announced for contractors, director of the Croatian Mine Clearing Centre, Damir Gorseta, said. Mine clearing is an urgent problem in Croatia where mines have been planted on 6,000 squared kilometres of land, that is, it is an important precondition for reconstructing the areas in which conflicts had been held. The European Commission decided on December 14 to finance mine clearing with an additional one million ECU, following the Conference on the Reconstruction and Development of Croatia held in Zagreb on December 4 and 5. At the conference, several countries announced their assistance in mine clearing, such as France, Norway, Greece and Japan. "We are in contact with representatives of all countries which had (at the conference) announced financial assistance in mine clearing, and we believe talks will end by the end of February," Gorseta said. He added Croatia would be the host of the regional conference on mine clearing, to be held in Zagreb from March 28 to 30. Participants of the Centre's academic council held in Sisak in November, assessed that mine clearing of all areas in Croatia would take some fifteen years, for which some US$2.5 billion would be needed. (hina) lml mm