CROATIAN HOUSE OF COUNTIES ADOPTS DRAFT BUDGET FOR 1999

ZAGREB, Nov 25 (Hina) - The Croatian Parliament House of counties on Wednesday endorsed the draft budget for 1999 and the final bill on its implementation by a majority of votes. Adopting the draft budget, MPs also motioned some amendments. MPs of opposition parties did not view the budget as developmental nor realistic, and said it was social only because next year was the year ahead of elections. Continuing the discussion which began on Tuesday, Vlado Osust of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) opposed claims that Croatia needed a peace-time budget which would drastically curb funds for the army and police. Mato Simic (HDZ), who is also the president of the Croatian Displaced Persons' Association, requested more assistance for the Osijek-Baranja County which was impoverished by the aggression and Serb occupation. Miroslav Rozic of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) protested against the third budget in a row which decreased resources for the army and police. He said the budget was not social, but rather was buying social peace. Zlatko Komadina of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) said the budgets' funds since 1997 until today had increased by 50 per cent, adding that such an increase clearly demonstrated that the budget was not developmental, but exclusively social. Emil Soldatic of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) described the budget as expendable, whose price will be paid the year after its implementation. According to him, the budget has been adapted to the year before elections. Soldatic warned of an increase in bureaucracy and a centralisation tendency as one of the biggest causes of a crisis in Croatia. (hina) lml jn