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Ministers comment on President's call for consensus

Autor: half
ZAGREB, June 25 (Hina) - Commenting on President Ivo Josipovic's statement on Monday about the need for a consensus on important national issues, Social Policy and Youth Minister Milanka Opacic said the point of all the speeches made at today's government session on the occasion of Statehood Day was that everyone had to be constructive in the current situation.

We must find solutions and the opposition in parliament should be constructive by helping in the seeking of solutions that will pull Croatia out of the crisis as soon as possible, Opacic said.

Asked by the press if she could imagine Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and opposition leader Tomislav Karamarko discussing the pension or health reform, she said people in politics must talk, so she saw no problem there.

Science, Education and Sports Minister Zeljko Jovanovic said he could imagine discussing strategic education reforms with a shadow minister from the strongest opposition party, the HDZ.

"This government has clearly said that education and science are crucial for Croatia's success. Everyone with a good proposal on how to improve our education and science is welcome."

Asked if this also referred to a proposal from the HDZ, Jovanovic said any party's proposal that could help improve Croatian education was welcome. "Quality education and science must not suffer because of political affiliation."

Asked to comment on criticisms that top government officials did not attend today's Mass for the Homeland, Jovanovic said, "Who was supposed to be there, was there."

Responding to the same question, Defence Minister Ante Kotromanovic said that was a personal matter and unimportant.

Reporters asked War Veterans Minister Predrag Matic to comment on the fact that Croatia had not managed to change the observation of holidays and that the mood today was not particularly celebratory.

He said he was satisfied and that "for the first time, the state leadership laid one wreath together with the veterans, representatives of veterans' associations, the military, and the police. In that sense, we showed unity."

Matic said he was disappointed to see only a few flags raised on Zagreb's houses today. "That's something we need to work on because if we don't respect ourselves, it's difficult to expect others to do so. Because we deserve it, in 1991 we showed it. Today we deserve the unity we showed in the 1990s... The flag is the unity we should finally and definitely start rallying around."

Asked to comment on President Josipovic's words, Matic said he agreed with and supported him. "There's no room for ideological divides today. We know we are in a difficult economic crisis. Unfortunately, we also know who brought us here and why we are doing like this. There must be a consensus in the state on these key matters, so that we can pull out of the crisis. Then it will be better for all of us."

Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Sinisa Hajdas Doncic said he was preparing for a visit to Montenegro and that on Tuesday he would meet local officials in Dubrovnik-Neretva County regarding some Schengen-related problems and the transport of goods towards southernmost Croatia.

He said the county "should change its physical plan if we want undisturbed transport of goods" and that this would involve the construction of either a corridor or a bridge. "That can't be done in three to four years, yet we must find the simplest and most flexible solution to the transport of goods as of 1 July 2013."

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