ALBANIAN PRESIDENT MEETS 'INA' MANAGERS

ZAGREB, March 26 (Hina) - Albania's President Rexhep Meidani, who is on a two-day official visit to Croatia, held a meeting with representatives of the Croatian national oil company (INA) on Monday evening. The INA management board chairman, Tomislav Dragicevic, and the INA oil and gas drilling and production department's head, Josip Kriz, briefed President Meidani about the company's activities in the search for oil in Albania. Since 1994 when it was given a concession for searching for oil and gas in Albania, INA has been present in that country. In 1997 INA discontinued works in one oil-well, given that after drilling 5,250 metres in the depth, no oil was found. The entire project cost 22 million dollars. Despite that failure, this year INA is going to start drilling at another site. This job, in which 13 million dollars will be invested, has been concluded at the concession basis as well. President Meidani stressed that INA was the first foreign company to have opened doors in searching for oil in Albania, and wished a new research team more success and luck. The both parties agreed that there was mutual interest in promoting cooperation in this field. (hina) ms