SLOVENE, CRO ECONOMY MINISTERS DISCUSS 'KRSKO' NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

MOKRICE, June 16 (Hina) - Croatian and Slovenian Economy Ministers, Nenad Porges and Metod Dragonja, and officials of the two countries' electric power industries discussed the work as well as the structure of ownership of the joint nuclear power plant 'Krsko', at talks held in the Slovenian town of Mokrice on Monday. The 'Krsko' plant is in Slovenia, near the Croatian border. Its construction was financed by Slovenia and Croatia while they used to be republics in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). After winning their independence, the two countries failed to sign an agreement on regulating final status and the structure of the ownership of the nuclear power plant, due to their different views. After Monday's three-hour-long talks, Croatia's Minister Porges said that Mokrice meeting instilled hope. According to Porges, the open talks dealt with problems, and now the two parties already agreed on around 80 percent of contents about the nuclear power plant, and agreement on 20 percent was in sight. "We agreed on several key solutions that enable the interim board of directors of the nuclear power plant to normally function and that blockades and stalemates which have been frequent recently, may be removed," he said. Besides, expert teams should be appointed that can work on an interstate treaty on the 'Krsko'. Porges predicted that as early as this month the board of directors could be expected to take at the following session "important steps forward, including ones about a rule book and the decision-making." Slovenian Minister Dragonja said that the Mokrice talks had also revolved round establishment of a free trade zone, the support Croatia is expecting from Slovenia in its bid for entrance into the CEFTA and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), besides issues concerning the 'Krsko'. (hina) jn mš 161730 MET jun 97