ZAGREB, 17 Feb (Hina) - The Croatian Economy Minister Davor Stern met his Slovene counterpart Metod Dragonja for talks in Zagreb on Monday. The talks focused on the forthcoming negotiations about a Croatian-Slovene agreement on free
trade and the work and status of the nuclear power plant Krsko.
ZAGREB, 17 Feb (Hina) - The Croatian Economy Minister Davor Stern met his
Slovene counterpart Metod Dragonja for talks in Zagreb on Monday. The talks
focused on the forthcoming negotiations about a Croatian-Slovene agreement
on free trade and the work and status of the nuclear power plant Krsko. #L#
'We agreed that the negotiations on the establishment of free trade
should start tomorrow, 18 February', Stern said after the meeting.
The two sides also agreed to exempt some commodities from all customs
tariffs once the agreement comes into effect. For some of the commodities,
customs tariffs would be decreased by 30% by the year of 2000, when customs
tariffs will be completely abolished, while some commodities would be
exempted from customs duties in 2001.
The Slovene Economy Minister Dragonja said that Slovenia's goal was to
initial the free trade agreement and start implementing it on 1 January
1998.
'We expressed readiness to help Croatia in its joining the
international economic organisations - the Central European Free Trade
Association (CEFTA) and World Trade Organisation (WTO). As far as CEFTA is
concerned, we will try and help Croatia participate in CEFTA's ministerial
meeting, to be held in Ljubljana in September', Dragonja said.
Today's talks also tackled the Croatian-Slovene relations concerning
the nuclear power plant Krsko which was
built by the two countries with joint assets in the time of the former
Yugoslav federation. The two ministers agreed to
re-establish the plant's managing board, which would deal with all questions
relating to the work, financing and
legal status of the plant.
The ownership of the plant, which is located on the territory of
Slovenia, has still not been solved
by a contract and represents one of open questions between the two
countries.
'At the beginning of March, both Croatia and Slovenia will delegate
four members into the managing board,
who will try to solve all open questions - from the establishment of the
price of power from the plant, the securing of
assets for closing down the plant to investments - as soon as possible',
Minister Stern said.
'As far as the status of the plant is concerned, we have agreed that
Croatian-Slovene negotiating teams
will start working again and I hope that they will reach agreement by the
end of this year', Dragonja said.
(hina) rm jn
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