SPLIT-ZAGREB HIGHWAY IS CHIEF NATIONAL PROJECT - RADIC

SPLIT, Dec 3 (Hina) - "The Split-Zagreb highway is Croatia's chief national project and its construction, which comes 30 years late, must be completed within five years," Reconstruction, Development and Immigration Minister Jure Radic said in Split Thursday night. One section of the highway is being constructed and will be completed by 2001, and the other section is under test work, because most of the funds for this section of the highway have been ensured by American loans through a contract with US company Bechtel. For the construction of a third section of the highway an agreement was signed with and Italian-Austrian consortium, and work should begin soon, Radic said. We decided for the construction of this highway because it connects two big cities, but also other towns of southern Croatia, and passes through the central Croatian region of Lika, a still underdeveloped region, and will spur its development, Radic said. He stressed that this highway fitted in the Adriatic highway, as do all other main highways in Croatia. "The construction of this highway is not fiction and is being realised, and despite the war, in the past ten year 240km of highways have been constructed in Croatia," Radic said. (hina) lml