Commenting on claims from the Opposition that Croatia is in a deep crisis and recession regardless of a 0.2 percent economic growth in the third quarter, Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Monday that the claims were not true and that she regretted that Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Zoran Milanovic knew so little about the economy.
"I am surprised that he is not glad about the first signs that we are coming out of the crisis and not supporting the government's activities in implementing the programme for economic recovery. Unfortunately, such behaviour is not new," Kosor said at an event at which she presented war veterans with 100-percent disability with new cars.
She recalled that as an opposition leader Milanovic failed to attend a vote on the 2011 budget and on a bill on fiscal accountability. "That primarily speaks of their sense of responsibility and that's nothing new," she said.
"During the debate on the budget and Croatia's economic progress we did not hear any proposals, only criticisms... criticism will not get us out of the crisis, or launch any projects, or lead to GDP growth, only cooperation and support for good projects can get us out of the crisis," she said.
Asked to comment on the WikiLeaks website's publication of classified U.S. State Department documents, including ones on Croatia, Kosor said there was nothing to comment on.
"Regardless of what will be published, it certainly won't affect relations between Croatia and the United States, our ally that supports us on the path to the EU and that supported us on the road to NATO," Kosor said.
She also would not comment on announcements that the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) would nominate Croatian National Bank governor Zeljko Rohatinski as its candidate for Prime Minister in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, since, she said, he had dismissed such reports.
