PRESIDENT TUDJMAN OPENS NEWLY-BUILT SECTION OF HIGHWAY

GORICAN, June 4 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Wednesday opened the newly-built section of a highway from the Gorican crossing on the Croatian-Hungarian border to the town of Cakovec, 80 km north of Zagreb. The construction of the 16 km stretch cost 250 million kuna and was carried out by Croatian companies and Croatian Army engineers. The opening ceremony was attended by government and military officials, representatives of Medjimurje County and the Hungarian Zala County, municipal officials from Cakovec, representatives of the Hungarian minority and residents of Cakovec and nearby towns. The Zagreb-Gorican section of the highway is a part of the main state route no. 3, which is a part of the new European road corridor no. 5. It will provide a closer link between Croatia and Central and Eastern Europe. The highway will link the largest Croatian sea port of Rijeka via Zagreb to the Croatian-Hungarian border and on to Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine. Greeting the present, Tudjman stressed that the opening of the highway was of great importance not only because of the new highway kilometres, but because even in war conditions the Croatian government had built roads and other infrastructure to the benefit of the Croatian people. The Croatian democratic authority was rectifying the errors of the previous anti-Croatian policy that had consciously neglected Croatia's linking with Europe, the President said. "We established the Croatian state, democracy and freedom and have succeeded, to the surprise of the world, to defend ourselves from Yugo- Communist aggression and Serb rebellion," Tudjman said. He stressed that an economic and monetary stability had been achieved, and that we were again amazing the "world with successes in the construction of the country". The newly constructed section of the highway, as well as the recently completed Maslenica bridge were wholly the work of Croatian designers and contractors, as well as the Croatian army, Tudjman said. He recalled the beginnings of the Croatian army, which had brought to the adversaries to Croatia's freedom the worst defeats in history, and today it was a modern armed force which contributed to the construction of the Croatian state. Tudjman thanked Croatian army troops for all their victories in war and work. "We have just recently got out of a war in which over a quarter of Croatian territory had been occupied and devastated, and the adversaries of Croathood wanted to force us to capitulate and return to Balkan frames with the collaboration of numerous European and world factors. However, the Croatian people with their harmony and victories succeeded in winning over the collaborators, so today Croatia has friends all over the world and has created conditions for a safe future," Tudjman said. "We knew in war and we shall know in peace how to build our country, raise the standard of living of Croatian people to a European level, so that Croatian man would not have to go abroad. We created conditions for the return of emigrant Croats who had left their country for political and economic reasons," Tudjman said. "We can be proud of what we have achieved so far, although not wholly satisfied with the standard of living," Tudjman said, stressing that living conditions were still better in Croatia than in most of the former socialist countries. "Our future is in our hands and in the hands of the whole Croatian people. Let us have faith in ourselves, and the future of Croatia will be secure and prosperous. Croatia will be a land of happiness and prosperity," Tudjman said. (hina) vm lm mm 042208 MET jun 97