MONTENEGRIN BUSINESS PEOPLE PAY RETURN VISIT TO SPLIT

SPLIT, Oct 27 (Hina) - A delegation of Montenegrin business people, headed by the president of the Montenegrin Chamber of Commerce, Vladimir Vukmirovic, paid a return visit to Split on Friday. Trade between Croatia and Montenegro in the first half of this year amounted to US$46 million, which is the value of the annual trade in 1999, the president of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), Nadan Vidosevic, said before about a hundred Croatian and Montenegrin business people at the hotel "Marjan". The Montenegrin business people showed most interest in the presence of Croatian companies on Montenegro's construction market. The Split-based company Pomgrad has already signed a contract with Montenegro on the reconstruction of the port of Bar and another Croatian company, Konstruktor, is negotiating a DM100 million contract including the designing and construction of a tunnel from Podgorica to the Montenegrin coast. Croatia is already exporting canned fish, electrical machines and oil to Montenegro, it was said at the meeting. Vidosevic said that the June visit of Croatian business people to Montenegro had resulted in a series of contracts. The head of the HGK in Split County, Jadranka Radovanic, announced the possibility of direct investments into the Montenegrin economy. Montenegro's Vukmanovic said he believed customs and tax obstacles should be reduced to the minimum and that the two countries should sign a trade agreement. (hina) rml