ZAGREB, Dec 5 (Hina) - Croatia is satisfied with the Conference on +Reconstruction and Development despite the fact that the +international community has promised financial help that is far +below the country's actual needs.+ "In
general, we are satisfied with the Conference which gathered 47 +countries, 27 international organisations and 543 participants", +Foreign Minister Mate Granic told reporters at a closing press +conference in Zagreb on Saturday.+ Croatia has been promised a total of about US$25 million, which is +only one per cent of its actual needs for the implementation of +basic projects, which amount to US$2.5 billion.+ During the Conference, which was held on Friday and Saturday in +Zagreb's hotel Intercontinental, government representatives +presented projects of reconstruction of Croatia.+ Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic also expressed +satisfaction wi
ZAGREB, Dec 5 (Hina) - Croatia is satisfied with the Conference on
Reconstruction and Development despite the fact that the
international community has promised financial help that is far
below the country's actual needs.
"In general, we are satisfied with the Conference which gathered 47
countries, 27 international organisations and 543 participants",
Foreign Minister Mate Granic told reporters at a closing press
conference in Zagreb on Saturday.
Croatia has been promised a total of about US$25 million, which is
only one per cent of its actual needs for the implementation of
basic projects, which amount to US$2.5 billion.
During the Conference, which was held on Friday and Saturday in
Zagreb's hotel Intercontinental, government representatives
presented projects of reconstruction of Croatia.
Reconstruction and Development Minister Jure Radic also expressed
satisfaction with the meeting.
The purpose of the Conference was to inform the international
community about the projects, "we did not expect them to make
decisions on concrete amounts today, because they had received the
projects only at the Conference or shortly before it, and the
projects are to be studied", Radic said.
Therefore, it is possible that concrete results could show in seven
days or in two years, he added.
When asked whether the claims of the international community on the
discrimination against Croatian Serb returnees have thwarted the
expected success of the Conference, Minister Granic said that
Croatia "has fulfilled its obligation to adopt the Binding
Instruction on the implementation of the Reconstruction Programme
in agreement with the international community, not because it was
pressured into adopting it but because it is the real position of
the Republic of Croatia".
European Union representatives said on Friday that they had doubts
until the last moment whether to participate in the conference
because Croatia had refused to abolish discriminatory laws.
"The Croatian Government has its regular sessions on Thursday and
that is the reason why the Binding Instruction was adopted one day
before the beginning of the Conference", Granic said.
"I believe that it is better to adopt a good document seven days
later than a bad one seven days earlier", he added.
Talks on all reconstruction projects will resume on an expert basis
in spring, Granic concluded.
(hina) jn rml