LONDON: SIGNIFICANT INTEREST IN CROATIAN EURO-BONDS

LONDON, Mar 10 (Hina) - The main goal of the Croatian government as regards economy in 2000 is to maintain stability and accelerate economic growth next year, Croatian Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac said in London on Friday, presenting Croatian Euro-bonds. #L# A Croatian delegation, led by Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Slavko Linic, was today presenting the financial and monetary indicators of the Croatian economy, emphasising that the average macroeconomic indicators of the Croatian economy over the past five years were better than in any other central European country which is a first-round candidate for European Union membership. Linic said he could guarantee that "the independence of the Croatian National Bank will not be encroached upon" should there be changes to the Constitution. He also added the HNB "will not play with the devaluation of the kuna" and that the monetary policy of the central bank would remain unchanged with the aim of preserving the stability of the exchange rate and a low inflation rate. The Croatian bond, denominated in Euros and with maturity of five years, will appear on the market on Monday or Tuesday at the latest, it was said during the presentation, which was organised by the banking house Dresdner Kleinwort Benson. Other conditions under which the Croatian Euro-bond will appear on the market are not known. However, the chief financial analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, Richard Cohill, said there is great interest among institutional investors in Croatian Euro-bonds, and their volume will amount to at least 350, possibly 500 million Euros. (hina) mm rml