GOVT OFFICIALS CALL FOR ASSISTANCE IN RECONSTRUCTION

ZAGREB, Dec 4 (Hina) - Croatian Government representatives on Friday called on the international community to increase its assistance to Croatia at the Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Croatia. The Government representatives were presenting reconstruction and development projects prepared by their respective ministries. "The assistance given to Croatia is much smaller than the assistance to the economies in other European countries in transition", said Economy Minister Nenad Porges. We expect from the international community real help and partnership in the reconstruction of all war-ravaged areas, National Trust Establishment Committee head Vesna Skare Ozbolt said. Croatia has made big steps in creating an atmosphere of tolerance, security and respect for the equality of all citizens. "The process of confidence and reconciliation must go on outside an ideological framework, political pressure and the strategy of political pragmatism", said Skare Ozbolt. The president of the Croatian Returnee Association, Mato Simic, expressed doubts as regards the readiness of the international community to finance its own conditions and requirements which the Croatian Government has included in its binding order on the implementation of the reconstruction programme. "What I am afraid of is that we have adopted the binding order and that it will again have to be financed by the Croatian Government, that is, from the budget", Simic said. "If that is the price of funds we are to be given...then we'll swallow the binding order too", he added. The head of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Zagreb, Robert Robinson, called on the highest Croatian officials to repeat their call on minority members to return as well as to give firmer guarantees. Reconciliation activities have to be strengthened, Robinson said. (hina) mm rml