Croatia News - CroatiaPress.com

Zagreb, March 31 (CP) – Several Crotram trams have been on loan to Helsinki for the pat few months in a bid for the people to test the Croatian-made tram and possibly decide on a purchase.

However, Croatian media are writing about the trams not bringing much enjoyment to the Fins, as they have described them as being short on space, too bulky.

This is something Zagreb passengers know too well, as they are experiencing daily a lack of space in the new trams. It is hard to understand how a large vehicle like the new Croatian tram can have so little passenger space and seats.

Meanwhile, the Koncar CEO Darinko Bago, has stated that no such criticism has reached the producer of the trams and what is more, the notes from the testing received daily by the Fins do not contain any such complaints.

The 40 trams deal that Koncar may close with Helsinki if the trial period goes well  has other’s eyeing it, like the German Siemens, Italian Ansaldo Brena and French Bombardier interested.

The deal is worth €100 million and the Fins are expected to make a final decision in 2009.

Zagreb, March 31 (CP) – The Austrian Adria Beteiligungs GmbH has filed a suit against Croatia at the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague seeking the payment of some €60 in damages.

The Austrian company has allegedly opted for arbitration after Croatia breached the provisions of the investment protection agreement it had closed with Austria.

The direct damage was caused by Hrvatska Lutrija, Croatian lottery company, as it had utilised the Company’s gambling machines, but had not been paying the proceeds as was agreed in the contract.

According to the media, the filing of the suit against Croatia could have been prevented, as the Austrian company’s lawyer had requested a meeting with senior officials in a memo she had forwarded to them in order to discuss a way to solve the problem that had been dragging on for 13 years.

Hrvatska Lutrija had unilaterally severed the agreement with the Austrian firm in 1994 and the damages sought match the money that would have been made had the machines been returned to the Company.

A Croatian lawyer acquainted with the case has said that the Austrians stand little change of winning the court case. The Commercial court had already handed down the ruling in the case ordering that invested money be returned, while damages payment suit is still running at the Commercial court.

Zagreb, March 31 (CP) – The ad hoc gathered Ant imperialistic Coalition is organising an anti-Bush protest on Friday at 5 p.m. in Franjo Tudjman’s Square.

Members of the organisation are young antifascists, members of the Croatian leftists, students and teachers at the Philosophy Faculty in Zagreb, as well as members of NGOs.

Explaining their views representatives of those organising the protest are saying they do not wish for Croatia to be used as a pawn in the Anglo-American corporative imperialism.

They are also saying that if Croatia enters NATO it will support the United States’ breaching of international law invading other countries, supporting terrorists and dictators across the world as well as taking advantage of poor countries via the IMF and the WTO under the pretence of promoting democracy.

The future protestors are saying that Croatia can use its finances that will be needed to join NATO in a far more prudent way.

Although they are announcing a very loud protest, the organisers are still declining to reveal all the details of the operation.

At the NATO Bucharest summit starting today, Croatia is expected to be invited to join NATO, the invitation giving a green light for the start of accession negotiations that could end as early as this summer. This will be followed by a ratification process that should be completed in the fist half of next year.

US president G.W. Bush is arriving for a visit to Croatia on Friday in a bid to show support to Croatia following the reforms it had implemented so far. He will be departing Croatia on Saturday.

Zagreb is on heightened alert prior to the visit with police checks and preparations never before seen in the country making the citizens uneasy.

Zagreb, March 31 (CP) – A strong quake shook the Dubrovnik region in the early hours of Monday morning, the epicentre said to be in the sea some 12 kilometres north-west of Dubrovnik, near the island of Kolocep.

The quake’s magnitude was 4.1 on the Richter scale and the epicentre intensity was 6 on the Mercalli scale.

So far there have been no reports of damage to property.
 

Zagreb, March 30 (CP) – An NGO gathering signatures of citizens in favour of a referendum being held on NATO membership of Croatia is claiming it had gathered 15,000 signatures during the first day of signing which is to last until April 12.

The Association for NATO Referendum spokesperson had said that organisation was pleased with the course of events.

Some 10 percent of electorate signatures are needed in order for parliament to be forced into calling a referendum on NATO membership.

The Organisation is not opposed to Croatia’s NATO membership, but its members believe that the citizens have a right to put forth their views on the issue via a referendum.

Recently, senior Croatian politicians, including PM Ivo Sanader have been claiming that a referendum on the issue was not necessary, as as many as 70 percent of citizens were in favour of Croatia’s NATO membership, according to recently held surveys.

The PM Ivo Sanader said on Saturday a referendum on the issue would be called if enough signatures were to be gathered.

Zagreb, March 30 (CP) – The Serine vessel, which ran aground on the Unije island, has been towed away by a Croatian towing service to the port of Sibenik and will then be taken to the Brodotrogir shipyard where it will be fixed.

The 82-meter-long vessel sailing under a Sierra Leone flag which had set off from the Croatian port of Rijeka for Algiers carrying freight loaded on in Rijeka has run aground on January 22.

Most of the freight had been unloaded while the ship was still at Unije, mostly wooden planks.

There had been fears of spillage from the vessels causing pollution, but luckily this did not happen.

Zagreb, March 30 (CP) – The media are claiming that the runaway ret. Gen. Ivan Korade has been located overnight through the use of a thermovision camera in woods close to his home in Velika Veternicka in the Krapina area.

Some 500-strong police presence is said to have encircled Korade’s home in the village in hope of creating a tight noose, which will result in his capture.

The police are also conducting house-to-house searches on suspicion of Korade hiding in a home in the village.

The police head Marijan Benko has said he was hoping the operation of locating and taking Korade into custody would be completed by the end of Sunday.

Korade, 44, a Croatian General who was awarded the title for his war achievements, but had been actually trained as a plumber, is known for his quick temper and heavy drinking sparking brawls.

He is being hunted after four bodies were found, three of them in the same street that Korade’s home is in and he is suspected to have played a role in the murders.

Korade has had numerous brushes with police since his war hero times due to his short temper that even earned him an 8-month suspended sentence in 1995.

Zagreb, March 29 (CP) – According to the media, ret. Gen. Ivan Korade is the only possible perpetrator of the four murders that happened in Zagorje on Wednesday and Thursday. According to claims by the media, Korade must have had accomplices, as the man who was killed first, was badly beaten before being killed.

However, the police spokesperson Krunoslav Borovec has denied this saying the police never put out such information.

Meanwhile, the police have found Korade’s car near Novi Golubovec.

The hunt for the missing generals continues, but so far there has been no sign of him.

Korade is believed to have been involved in the killings of a close friend on Wednesday, a grandmother and her grandson on Thursday, as well as another neighbour the same day.

Zagreb, March 29 (CP) – Summer Time begins on Sunday March 30 with clocks being turned an hour from 2.am. to 3 a.m, announced the state measuring institution.
 

Zagreb, March 29 (CP) – Speaking to reporters on Friday, two cabinet ministers, the Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic and Defence Minister Branko Vukelic have stated there was no need to hold a referendum on Croatia’s NATO entry.

They said this was not a constitutional obligation and also, reforms were being implemented by Croatia for the past eight years in the civil and defence sector and the armed forces.

However, it was stated that if citizens wished to organise the gathering of signatures for a referendum on the issue, they were free to do so, but it was stressed that it was shown that more than 60 percent of citizens were in favour of membership and the same would be reflected by a referendum.