HOUSE OF COUNTIES OKAYS PROPOSED REVISION OF BUDGET

ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - The House of Counties of the Sabor on Thursday endorsed a bill on the revision of the state budget for this year. A Deputy Finance Minister, Mijo Jukic, accepted a few out of a series of amendments, while MPs passed several others despite Jukic's opposition. An amendment proposed by Mate Simic of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was accepted that a budget item of some 235 million dollars should remain for the reconstruction of war-destroyed houses. The upper house supported an amendment suggested by Franjo Krizanic of the HDZ regarding financial means for a Croatian-Bavarian project for the restoration of movable cultural monuments and an amendment by Ivan Marjanovic of the HDZ for ensuring means to reconstruct the hospital in Lipik. Zvonimir Cervenko of the HDZ insisted on retaining a budget item of 54.8 million dollars for constructing or purchasing houses for Homeland War veterans, and he was told that efforts would be made to collect necessary means for this purpose by the end of this year. The House of Counties okayed the amendments and supplements to the law on the execution of the state budget. (hina) ms