RADIC TOURS MASLENICA BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION SITE

ZADAR, Jan 25 (Hina) - Croatian minister of reconstruction voiced satisfaction over advancement of works on the new central Adriatic coast Maslenica bridge, saying special attention should be paid on its durability. "If there is something new about this project, it is certainly the solution guaranteeing the durability," minister Jure Radic (himself a civil engineer, specialized for bridges) said while touring the construction site on Thursday. He was accompanied by a group of government and local officials, including Labour and Welfare Minister Joso Skara, member of Croatian Academy and lawmaker Ivan Aralica, Zadar Mayor Bozidar Kalmeta and county prefect Sime Prtenjaca. Radic said the new bridge, an important junction at the Adriatic highway, will be over by next summer. Old bridge, which had spanned the Maslenica strait in the hinterland of Zadar, was blown up by the Serb rebels late in 1991, while the Croatian army recaptured the area around it early in 1993. A temporary pontoon bridge was set up at its site later in the year. (Hina) bk 251545 MET jan 96