SEPAROVIC:RIVKIN CONFIRMED AS CROATIA'S LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE

ZAGREB, Jan 19 (Hina) - U.S. lawyer David Rivkin continues to represent Croatia before the Hague courts, and an the end of 1999 year he was confirmed as its legal representative, Croatia's Justice Minister Zvonimir Separovic told Hina on Wednesday. At Wednesday's news conference of Croatia's future Premier- Designate Ivica Racan, a reporter said Minister Separovic had signed a new contract with the current legal representative before the Hague-based courts, U.S. attorney Rivkin, whose work the future government does not assess well. Separovic told Hina on the phone that he had not signed the new contract, but added that through the exchange of letters at the end of the last year Rivkin was confirmed as Croatia's representative. Racan told the news conference that the new Croatian government would reconsider the further representation of Croatia by Rivkin before the Hague-based courts. "It will be one of things for which I can absolutely certainly say that we shall reconsider, and you can expect more than that," Racan said. The presidential candidate of the SDP and HSLS coalition, Drazen Budisa, said in his interview to Wednesday's issue of the "Vecernji List" daily that new authorities would have to terminate the contract with Rivkin as "he does not do his job properly." (hina) mm ms