OSIJEK MAYOR RECEIVES BALLESTER

OSIJEK, Mar 7 (Hina) - Mayor of Osijek Zlatko Kramaric on Friday received the head of the Council of Europe's Committee for Cultural Heritage, Jose Maria Ballester, for talks on the reconstruction of Osijek's historical centre, Tvrdja. Kramaric informed Ballester that 1.3 million kunas had been gathered for the reconstruction by the selling of a stamp issued on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the city name's first mention. The town of Osijek, the Osijek-Baranja County and the Republic of Croatia were lacking enough means to complete the reconstruction project by themselves, the Mayor pointed out. Expressing satisfaction with the activities undertaken so far regarding the protection of the cultural heritage in Tvrdja, Ballester said that after Croatia's admission into the Council of Europe, the second phase of activities could begin. The whole project should acquire a European dimension, he said. The bases of an agreement which should arrange the relations between the Council of Europe and Croatia in the implementation of that project were ready, said the president of the Expert Committee for the Reconstruction of Tvrdja, Predrag Sibalic. (hina) ha 071258 MET mar 97