MOSTAR ALUMINIUM PLANT RESTARTS PRODUCTION

MOSTAR, March 15 (Hina) - The Mostar Aluminium Plant's general director Mijo Brajkovic, a member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Presidency and President of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina Kresimir Zubak, and a representative of a Houston-based "Venco Connoco" company, Larry Owen held speeches on Saturday's ceremony of the restart of production at the Aluminium Plant in Mostar, Requested by the general director Brajkovic to address the gathering, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman also held a speech and described this day as the beginning of normal peace-time life in the area. The opening of the Aluminium Plant in Mostar was important for the connection between Herzegovina and Dalmatia, i.e. the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, President Tudjman said. The general director Mijo Brajkovic said that the factory would be what it used to be before the war - the prime mover of economic development of the area. Brajkovic thanked especially Croatian President Tudjman, Premier Zlatko Matesa and Defence Minister Gojko Susak for the help to this multi-plant firm. He said that the first cell would be turned on in July this year when first tonnes of aluminium can be produced. The representative of "Venco Connoco", Larry Owen, said that this Houston-based company was a business partner of the Aluminium Plant and he voiced satisfaction with the fact that the Mostar factory's leadership had decided to sell anodes via this American company. A member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Presidency, and the President of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kresimir Zubak, thanked President Tudjman and his associates for their company at the ceremonial re-opening of Aluminium Plant's anodes factory. Today's reopening of the Aluminium Plant was a symbol of the beginning of everyday life after five-year-long war suffering. He added that this multi-plant firm, worth about US$ 500 million, was one of most important world producers of aluminium. The restart of production in this Mostar firm was important for the wide town area. It was also a symbol of economic ties between Mostar and the Croatian (Adriatic) town of Sibenik as well as between two fully complementary economic systems of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia, Zubak stressed. Before the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Mostar Aluminium Plant used to produce about 500,000 tonnes of bauxite, about 300,000 tones of alumina, 40,000 tonnes of anodes and about 93,000 tonnes of aluminium. The Mostar plant, which had employed 5,000 people, was Bosnia-Herzegovina's biggest exporter to convertible currency markets, with a yearly US$ 200 million- worth export. However, the production in the plant was gradually decreasing due to the war. The production had to cease on the night between 22 and 23 April 1992 when Bosnian Serb forces opened heavy artillery fire at the factory. The break lasted two months. After the Serb siege of southern Bosnian-Herzegovinian town had been lifted in June 1992, reorganization and repairs of the plant began. War damage caused to the plant amounts to US$ 30 million, without costs for the restart of production. At the moment there are more than 300 employees at the plant. After 64 cells for electrolysis begin to work, about 500 workers will be needed. The restart of production at the plant is important for the Croatian port of Ploce where more than 200,000 tonnes of alumina, 60,000 tonnes of oil coke and other materials will be re- loaded in the port and from where plant's products will be shipped to other parts of the world. Besides, the plant has been cooperating with the Sibenik Light Metals Factory. (hina) mš 151356 MET mar 97