ELECTRICITY DELIVERY MUST BE RESTORED AT ONCE - ECONOMY OFFICIAL

( Editorial: --> 1042 ) ZAGREB, July 31 (Hina) - It is necessary to immediately restore the previous situation in the delivery of electricity from the Krsko nuclear plant to Croatia in order to avoid further damage to the relations between Croatia and Slovenia and to avoid forcing Croatia to react with counter-measures, Croatian Deputy Economy Minister Jasna Boric said on Friday. Boric spoke to Croatian Radio prior to a meeting between delegations of the Croatian and Slovene Economy Ministries, which began in Otocec Ob Krki, Slovenia, this afternoon. The meeting will discuss the dynamics of paying out a debt of the Croatian power supply company HEP to the Krsko plant, starting from real costs and the real amount of the debt, Boric said. All other numerous open issues concerning the plant's business and our relations will be resolved subsequently in negotiations between the plant's owners, she added. The Krsko plant is jointly owned by Croatia and Slovenia and is on Slovene territory. Slovenia's power supply company ELES yesterday disconnected a double transmission line by which HEP was supplied with power from the Krsko plant and offered this electricity to other consumers in Slovenia. Croatia's Deputy Economy Minister assessed this act as unacceptable, both from the aspect of contractual obligations extant between ELES and HEP as equal partners in and co-owners of the plant, and from the aspect of the plant's functioning. The payment dynamics was established in an agreement between the plant and HEP, Boric said, adding Croatia would insist that this dynamics be respected. As concerns the different views the two countries have of the price of electricity from Krsko, Boric said Croatia would quote the price resulting from extant contractual relations, which makes Croatia's debt amount to some DM15 million. Yesterday, the Slovene side said Croatia's debt was DM25 million. Boric emphasised that HEP had recently paid one part of the debt. "In view of paying the remaining part we will respect the dynamics previously agreed on and which has been functioning to date. The other disputed debt amount will be the focus of further talks and adjustments of views between the two sides", she said. The Croatian delegation at today's talks in Otocec Ob Krki is headed by the Economy Minister's assistant for power supply Roman Nota, while Economy Minister Metod Dragonja is at the head of the Slovene delegation. Also in attendance are Slovene Ambassador to Croatia Bostijan Kovacic, and the charge d'affaires at the Croatian Embassy in Ljubljana Zdravko Gavran. (hina) ha 311737 MET jul 98