OFFICIAL OF US AGENCY ANNOUNCES BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ZAGREB FOR JUNE

ZAGREB, Mar 1 (Hina) - Kirk Robertson, executive vice president of the US agency Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), said on Wednesday a business conference which should enable US investors to establish contact with Croatian business people would be held in Zagreb in June this year. Speaking to reporters at the end of his two-day visit to Zagreb, where he met government officials and numerous business people, Robertson said there was a huge potential and opportunities for foreign investments in Croatia. #L# According to Robertson, Croatia has a chance to achieve significant economic growth, which is the reason why OPIC last week opened its office in Zagreb. Along with the OPIC office in Ankara, this is the agency's only regional office in the world. The Zagreb office will cover the entire region but it will focus on businesses in Croatia. The office's mission is to encourage US investments into Croatia, Robertson said. He added that meetings with government officials and business people showed that Croatia was willing to carry out economic reforms thus attracting foreign investors. The Zagreb office is primarily interested in investments into small and medium-sized businesses, especially in tourism, transport, power and food industries, and wood-processing industry. OPIC wants to participate in long-term projects and intends to implement 13 projects in Croatia, whose value could reach US$1.2 billion. The agency currently has a fund for Croatia amounting to US$150 million. However, Robertson also said that US investors still had a 'fear of the unknown' as well as of economic and political risks regarding concrete investments. (hina) mm rml