PORGES COMMENTS ON TUESDAY'S CANCELLATION OF TRADE AGREEMENT

ZAGREB, April 21 (Hina) - It is not good that the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Carlos Westendorp, did not find the opportunity to discuss with accelerated pace the newly- proposed trade agreement between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatian Economy Minister Nenad Porges said on Wednesday. The Croatian Government set the platform for the new agreement as early as in May last year, Porges told reporters, commenting on Tuesday's decision of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina to cancel the 1996 trade agreement between Croatia and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Porges said it was only a month ago that he met for the first time with a BH delegation to discuss the proposed trade agreement between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, but there were no Serb representatives in the delegation. Croatia was aware that the agreement which was cancelled would not stand the test of time and would have to be changed. That is why a new agreement was proposed, he said. According to the trade agreement, which was cancelled yesterday, Croatian goods had privileged customs status during import into Bosnia-Herzegovina. Goods imported into Bosnia-Herzegovina from Croatia would in the future be subject to the Law on Customs Tariffs of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The cancellation of the 1996 agreement will have to be confirmed by the country's Constitutional Court, but the new agreement is already in force and will be applied at all customs posts in the country. (hina) rml