Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor stated today that the Government has decided to postpone the separation of the gas business from INA, as it cannot take on obligations that would further burden the state budget.
"We cannot take on obligations that would ultimately again rely on the state budget. We cannot take on additional burdens for the state budget in the coming year," Kosor told reporters during her visit to the Zagreb Retirement Home in Ksaver. This was in response to journalists’ inquiries about her predecessor Ivo Sanader’s two attempts to "push through" the separation of that activity from INA. The Prime Minister assessed it as extremely important to reach an agreement with the Hungarian MOL regarding the repayment of INA’s debt to the state budget. It is important that we have reached an agreement because this will also resolve the problem of Croatian Highways and Croatian Roads, Kosor said.
The Government, at yesterday’s closed session, approved the text of the First Amendment to the Main Contract on gas business between the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Hungarian oil company MOL. This amendment regulates the mutual relations of the Croatian Government and MOL in the gas business, and it is expected that this amendment will also be signed today. In response to questions about the problems related to the Split Steelworks, workers who are protesting due to the slow realization of the agreement with the Government, the Prime Minister stated that the Government is fulfilling everything that has been agreed, but that the workers must understand that nothing can happen overnight."I invite them to be with their families, and the Government will not give up any part of the agreement because that would mean going back on its word," Prime Minister Kosor stated. (H)
