New US-Assisted Project Completed in Croatia

22/06/2005

The reconstruction of a school gymnasium in the Croatian town of Obrovac is the latest humanitarian assistance project to be completed with financial support from the US military's European Command.

(US Embassy in Croatia - 14/06/05; Croatian Ministry of the Seas, Tourism, Transportation and Development, Radio Zadar - 13/06/05)

US Ambassador Ralph Frank (centre) and Obrovac elementary school principal Zeljko Modric (second from left) stand in front of the school's new gym, built with assistance from the US military, USAID and the Croatian government. [US Embassy]

Croatian Deputy Minister of Seas, Tourism, Transportation and Development Ljudevit Herceg and US Ambassador to Croatia Ralph Frank opened a newly reconstructed gymnasium at the primary and secondary school in the town of Obrovac on 13 June. The reconstruction was the latest humanitarian assistance project in Croatia to be completed with US financial support.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Frank said the assistance was an expression of his country's commitment to the people of Croatia. "Since 1992, the United States has provided over $407m to Croatia to strengthen democratic institutions and to support political, economic and social reforms essential to creating and sustaining a better future for all Croatians, regardless of ethnic heritage," he said.

Obrovac is in Zadar County, on the left bank of the Zrmanja River, and has a population of 1,660. The initiative, aimed at improving the quality of life in the town, was a co-operative effort of the US European Command (EUCOM), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Croatian government.

The total value of the US contribution to this construction project and the earlier construction of the elementary school is $650,000," the US Embassy in Zagreb said in a statement. The primary school, damaged during the 1991-1995 conflict, was rebuilt with help from USAID.

For the gymnasium alone, US support totalled nearly $336,000, including EUCOM's contribution of $250,000 for construction and $25,000 for sports equipment, provided under the US military's Humanitarian Assistance Programme. Support from USAID came in the form of financial and technical assistance. The Croatian Ministry of the Seas, Transportation, Tourism and Development contributed nearly $269,000.

"This reconstruction effort was quite extensive and entailed the removal of the damaged building, the installation of a special foundation, and the construction of this wonderful new facility," Frank said at the ceremony. This project follows several similar ones completed with EUCOM and USAID support and in close co-operation and financial cost sharing with the seas, transportation, tourism and development ministry. Those include a construction and reconstruction project in Pakrac that helped double the capacity of a dormitory for secondary school students. It was completed in April 2004 with EUCOM and USAID support totaling more than $300,000.

Other examples include the reconstruction of the primary schools in Batinjani, completed in May 2002, and in the village of Gorice in the Municipality of Dragalic, in December 2001. The funding provided by EUCOM for those two projects totalled $130,000.