The vice-president of the strongest opposition party, Zeljka Antunovic, told a news conference in Zagreb on Wednesday that the Ivo Sanader cabinet remained silent about the matter, although Croatia's energy future very much depended on the seriousness and complexity of that project.
In this context Antunovic also accused the current government of preferring interests of the big capital to the national energy development and environmental protection.
She urged the government to immediately voice its position on the issue and say whether Croatia has any interest to take part in that project which is called "Upper Horizons".
The SDP official wondered whether Croatia had any debts for using the Trebisnjica river near the southern Bosnian border with Croatia and how much the "Upper Horizons" project would cost Croatia.
Antunovic also recalled that last May the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) asked the PM Sanader to take all the necessary steps so as to prevent the Bosnian Serb project for the construction of dams for future hydroelectric power plants in southern Bosnia-Herzegovina,
During a parliamentary debate, the HSP warned that the dams would reduce the influx of water into the Neretva River, which passes through both countries, and will allow sea-water to enter the river.
On that occasion Tonci Tadic of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) said that the Republic of Srpska was preparing a project called "Upper Horizons", aimed at redirecting waters from the Fatnicko Polje and Dabarsko Polje areas into Lake Bileca and into the Trebisnjica River for the the construction of a hydroelectric power plant.
As a result, the amount of the water in the Neretva River would be reduced, Tadic quoted expert opinion.
Later that month, Sanader said that the government would respond to announcements by the Bosnian Serb entity that it would build hydropower plants in the upper, Bosnian part of the Neretva River basin.
"We will respond appropriately and protect the river delta," Sanader told HSP deputy Tadic during Question Time in parliament.
At today's news conference, Antunovic asked whether the Sanader cabinet was protecting Croatia's interests in this segment and how.
"Bosnia-Herzegovina, namely (its entity) the Republic of Srpska is taking care of its interests, while the Croatian Government shows sloppiness and indolence," Antunovic said.
Ivica Pancic also of the SDP accused the state-run Croatian Power Company (HEP) for a lack of transparency in this case.
According to him, HEP managers and officials of the Croatian Economy Ministry held talks on the project with Bosnian Serb representatives in June and October 2006, and supported the project on those occasions.
Pancic said that the government failed to inform the Croatian public about that and about expert opinions on possible salinization of the Neretva delta.
In response to the SDP criticism, Assistant Culture Minister Zoran Sikic said on Tuesday afternoon that Zagreb had already warned Bosnia of detrimental consequences of the Upper Horizons project.
In July 2006, Croatian Culture Minister informed relevant Bosnian officials about Zagreb's concern over plans for the implementation of Upper Horizons project which may endanger rivers and underground waters, Sikic told a news conference in the Croatian capital.
Sikic said that the PM Sanader had stressed several times that this problem would be tackled and added that during his talks with the World Bank director for Croatia, Croatian Culture Minister Bozo Biskupic pointed out problems which Croatia might face in case that seven hydroelectric plants are built in the said area.
Besides, Croatia is taking all the necessary steps to proclaim the Neretva Delta as a nature park until the end of this year.
According to Sikic, Bosnia has pledged to inform Croatia about everything it may carry out within that project.
Sikic does not rule out a possibility for the international community to be engaged in efforts to solve this problem.