CACIC COMMENTS ON RECONSTRUCTION, PRIVATISATION, ROAD ACCIDENTS

ZAGREB, Aug 28 (Hina) - Croatia's Minister of Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction, Radimir Cacic, said on Tuesday his ministry would initiate an urgent procedure on changes to the Law on Areas of Special State Concern seeking exclusive jurisdiction over housing commissions. Things in the reconstruction sector are under control, whereas problems and stalling occur on the level of counties, Cacic told a news conference. A total of 4,200 houses and 700 flats are being reconstructed currently, he added. Cacic dismissed claims by Serb People's Council president Milorad Pupovac that the government is not repairing Serb houses and that in Sibenik-Knin County only some 20 houses belonging to Serb citizens have been reconstructed. More than 60 houses have been reconstructed in Serb or majority Serb settlements in Knin County, while another 112 Serb houses have been repaired in cooperation with international financial institutions, Cacic said. The minister said he met Pupovac to discuss his objections, wishes and concrete questions. A total of 4,000 housing units which were illegally occupied have been made available and can be returned to their owners. These owners, however, have not submitted restitution requests, Cacic said, adding there were as many housing units whose owners had requested the restitution of their property, however, their houses were still occupied. Cacic therefore announced an intensive media campaign in Croatia, Yugoslavia, and Bosnia's entities of Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina with the aim of informing Croatian citizens that they have the right to submit restitution requests by the end of this year. The minister also commented on media reports and claims by Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH) secretary-general Vitomir Begovic about the need for the State Audit to audit the process of privatisation in line with a model of public auctioning of shares from the state portfolio with the aim of financing part of the Ministry's capital spending. According to this model, the ministry gives constructors so-called entitlements in exchange for finished work. These entitlements, which are offered on stock markets, can then be exchanged for shares at public auctions. Cacic believes the model is completely transparent and open and considers audit requests a form of political interfering in the privatisation process. The model has resulted in the sale of 93% of the state portfolio for 277 million kuna, Cacic said. According to the model, the ministry pays constructors 20 percent of its obligations towards them. The minister also commented on a ban on overtaking which has been introduced on the Karlovac-Vukova Gorica section of the Zagreb- Rijeka highway due to frequent accidents. The Faculty of Transport Studies has studied the highway project and none of its objections referred to the part of the section where accidents were most frequent, Cacic said. Croatian citizens accounted for 60 and foreign nationals for 40 percent of drivers travelling along this highway section. In all cases accidents were caused by domestic drivers due to speeding, Cacic said. (hina) rml