CRO TRANSPORT MINISTER COMMENTS ON CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS

ZAGREB, Jan 30 (Hina) - Croatian Minister of Transport, Communications and Maritime Affairs, Zeljko Luzavec, on Thursday spoke of roads construction in Croatia and the country's integration into the European system, at a panel organized in Croatian Pan-European Union centre in Zagreb. A Rijeka-Zagreb-Gorican road that will link the north with the south as well as the Baltic and Adriatic Seas, and a Macelj-Zagreb- Lipovac road are most important motorways that will be built by 1999, Minister Luzavec told the panel. He informed the gathering that 22-kilometre-long section of the Delnice-Rijeka motorway and a 20-kilometre-long section of the Zagreb-Krapina road had been constructed in last year. He added that a 40-kilometre-long section of the Zagreb-Gorican motorway would be built by this summer, and portrayed this as a great success in comparison with the fact that only 10 kilometres of motorways used to be built yearly in Croatia in the past. Luzavec reiterated importance of building motorways in Croatia to its tourism and entire economy. He said that the restructuring of railway lines presented a big problem. Commenting on air traffic he said that much was to be done in restructuring airports, and added that the airport of Zadar (southern Croatia) would be completely renovated until this summer. The reconstruction will cost 12 million German marks. The renovation of the 45-ship fleet of the "Jadrolinija" company was under way, he said adding that five new ships will be bought, three of which were built in Croatian shipyards. He said that studies for the development of Croatian ports had been prepared and that the development of the ports would go on according to models of developed European countries. Luzavec also said that great importance in programmes was attached to Vukovar as a river port. (hina) mš 302353 MET jan 97