REPORT ON NEGOTIATIONS ON CRO JOINING TO WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION

ZAGREB, Jan 21 (Hina) - The Croatian Government on Thursday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa adopted a report of the Croatian delegation participating in the ninth round of bilateral negotiations on Croatia's full membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). A binding plan and schedule of activities for ending the accession procedure was also adopted at the session, so the process could be completed at the WTO General Council session by late June 1999, which, according to the Croatian Government was one of the most important strategic goals this year, the Government's Communications Office reported. From its current reserves, the Government granted an amount necessary for social welfare, unpaid in 1998, namely extended social aid for Bosnian refugees, settled in Croatia, persons whose refugee status was no longer valid, and returnees from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, who left Croatia after the liberation of occupied territories in 1995. The Government established an organisation committee for the Regional Conference on Mineclearing, which is to be held in Zagreb on March 27-30. The Government relieved the head of the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute, Damir Zoric, of duties, due to his new appointment, and appointed Dunja Vidosevic, former head of the Office for Economics and Reconstruction of Public Companies to his post. (hina) it lml/jn