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FOREIGN PRESS BUREAU ZAGREB
Daily Bulletin

October 1, 1998

In todays bulletin:
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CROATIA

1. Deadline For MPs to Submit Reports on the Property They Own Expires
2. Croatia Most Likely Wont Join the PHARE Program
3. Agreement on Social Insurance With Austria Takes Effect
4. Meeting With Romanian Entrepreneurs Successful
5. Government and Trade Unions Discuss Salary Policy
6. House of Representatives Continues 33rd Session
7. Refugee Return in Croatia is Satisfactory
8. Osijek-Baranja County Celebrate Day of Police
9. Matesa and Hebrang Visit Marija Bistrica
10. Exhibition in Coincidence With Papal Visit
11. 700th Anniversary of Sibenik Diocese

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

12. Zubak Comments on Election Results
13. Izetbegovics Withdrawal Refuted


***

 CROATIA


1. DEADLINE FOR MPS TO SUBMIT REPORTS ON THE PROPERTY THEY OWN EXPIRES

Tuesday was the deadline for members of Parliament to submit reports on the
property they own in line with the Law on Civil Servants. Most of them
submitted their reports to the Presidents Office last week, while
President Tudjman submitted his report to the Speaker of Parliament. All of
these facts are to be released on the Internet.

In general, of 128 ministers of the Croatian Upper House, obliged to submit
an assets declaration, 107 submitted theirs within the specified time-frame
while 21 failed to do so. From the Lower House, 68 ministers submitted a
declaration while eight did not.

Upper House members who did not submit an assets declaration are as
follows: Snjezana Biga-Friganovic (SDP), Juraj Biscan and Ivan Kolar (HSS),
Dino Debeljuh and Ivan Jakovcic (IDS), Luciano Delbianco (IDF), Milan
Djukic (SNS), Ivan Herak (HSLS), Slavko Vuksic (SBHS) and Nikola Ivanis
(RIDS), and from HDZ representatives, Zlatko Canjuga, Antun Kovacev,
Nedjeljko Mihanovic, Zdravko Sancevic, Marino Golob, Ivan Hranjec, Ivo
Lozancic, Mladen Markac, Marin Mileta, Antun Pitlovic and Damir Skaro.

Lower House members who did not submit their declaration were: Drazen
Bobinac, Niko Bulic and Ante Dolic (HDZ), Petar Jurusic, Stjepan Maric and
Ivan Stancer (HSS), Emil Soldatic (IDS) and Tereza Ganza-Aras (LS).


2. CROATIA MOST LIKELY WONT JOIN THE PHARE PROGRAM

Talking to the Reuters News Agency, the special EU envoy to Croatia Per
Vinther said that Croatia would not likely join the PHARE program in the
near future due to its slow progress regarding democratic reforms. Vinther
said that he could give recommendations for Croatia to be made a member,
but added that EU countries were not ready to open up the PHARE program to
Croatia at this time. Further concerning is that had Croatia not chosen to
undertake military actions Flash and Storm the situation would have been
different according to the EU.

The Croatian government was very surprised and believes any attempt to
associate its military actions with the PHARE program is politically
irrelevant and unacceptable. Statements such as the one made by Vinther may
lead some to conclude that the true reason for many tactless pressures
exerted upon Croatia are actually a result of the fact that the Republic of
Croatia won independence and complete sovereignty for all of its
internationally recognised territory by relying solely on its own strength
which, obviously, is not in the interests of some international factors.


3. AGREEMENT ON SOCIAL INSURANCE WITH AUSTRIA TAKES EFFECT

The Agreement on Social Insurance signed between Austria and Croatia will
come into effect on October 1, 1998. It will ensure the rights of Croatian
citizens, who have worked or are still working in Austria, to social
insurance and pensions. Croatian citizens also have the right to
retroactive compensation as of January 1 1997.


4. MEETING WITH ROMANIAN ENTREPRENEURS SUCCESSFUL

At a meeting between Croatian and Romanian entrepreneurs in Bucharest, the
Romanian Prime Minister Radu Vasile and his Croatian counterpart Zlatko
Matesa said that despite the two countries being oriented towards joining
Euro-Atlantic structures, this should not be the reason for them neglecting
each others markets. They mentioned energy, transport, agriculture and
tourism as being just a few fields in which there could be more
co-operation between the two countries.

Upon Minster Matesas return, he said that his visit had been a successful
one. Matesa also met with the Romanian Premier and chairperson of both
houses of the Romanian Parliament.


5. GOVERNMENT AND TRADE UNIONS DISCUSS SALARY POLICY

Government representatives and representatives of a dozen trade unions of
public and state agencies have begun talks on the salary policy for those
services financed from the state budget. Deputy Prime Minister Ljerka
Minats-Hodak said it had been agreed that the main topics would be basic
salaries and a common coefficient for both public and state services. The
next meeting is scheduled in 10 days when the negotiation protocol will be
reviewed.


6. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONTINUES 33RD SESSION

The House of Representatives continued its 33rd session on Wednesday with a
20-point agenda.
Some nine points were discussed on Wednesday, among them the proposal of
the law on banks and the annual report of the central bank.


7. REFUGEE RETURN IN CROATIA IS SATISFACTORY

Speaking to reporters at the Pula-based Kamenjak refugee centre, the head
of the governmental office for refugees and displaced people Lovre Pejkovic
said that the process of refugee return in Croatia was satisfactory and
that the returnees should be secured jobs and assistance in order to
restart their lives. The UNHCR head of mission in Croatia Robert Robinson
and deputy Labour and Social Welfare Minister Marijan Pokrajcic also
attended the press conference following a two-day workshop organised by the
ODPR and UNHCR.


8. OSIJEK-BARANJA COUNTY CELEBRATE DAY OF POLICE

For the first time since the reintegration of Osijek - Baranja county the
day of the Croatian police force was marked. Members of the police have,
since the departure of UN forces, taken up their regular duties in securing
law and order as well as securing the return of refugees, said the head of
the Osijek - Baranja police force Dubravko Jezercic at celebrations
organised at the Osijek Croatian National Theatre. Mass was said and
wreaths were laid at the local chapel for all members of the police force
who lost their lives in the war.


9. MATESA AND HEBRANG VISIT MARIJA BISTRICA

Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa and Defence Minister Andrija Hebrang
made a tour of the area in Marija Bistrica where Pope John Paul II will
hold Eucharistic Mass. According to the head of the welcoming committee,
Jure Radic, preparations are almost completed.


10. EXHIBITION IN COINCIDENCE WITH PAPAL VISIT

To mark the forthcoming visit of Pope John II to Croatia, the Croatian
Artist's Society organised an exhibition in the cellar of Diocletian Palace
in Split entitled, "Sacral Areas". The author of the exhibition is art
historian Vladimir Rismondo and is being sponsored by Split municipal
authorities.


11. 700TH ANNIVERSARY OF SIBENIK DIOCESE

The celebrations marking the 700th anniversary of the Sibenik diocese ended
on Tuesday with a church service led by Cardinal Franjo Kuharic.


***

 BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA


12. ZUBAK COMMENTS ON ELECTION RESULTS

Member of the Bosnian Presidency and president of the New Croatian
Initiative Kresimir Zubak told reporters at a press conference in Sarajevo
that his party had achieved its main goal in recent elections and had
become a parliamentary party.


13. IZETBEGOVICS WITHDRAWAL REFUTED

The Bosnian Presidency PR Officer, Adamir Jerkovic, has refuted Alija
Izetbegovics withdrawal from the new Federal Presidency in favour of Haris
Silajdzic, as stated by the Sarajevo daily Oslobodjenje. Jerkovic said that
the intention of such misinformation was not clear, but that it might cause
confusion among the Bosniak population and damage the international status
of Bosnia and Herzegovina.


***

EXCHANGE RATES: http://www.hic.hr/turizam/tecaj

WEATHER REPORT: http://www.hic.hr/turizam/prognoza

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