ZAGREB FAIR OFFERS COOPERATION WITH BOSNIAN COMPANIES

SARAJEVO, Feb 19 (Hina) - The Zagreb Fair (ZV) management, led by the director-general, Jurica Pavelic, presented the ZV programme for this year to Bosnian businessmen in Sarajevo on Friday. Since 1996, immediately after the end of the war in Bosnia- Herzegovina, the Zagreb Fair representatives have promoted their programmes in the Bosnian capital. Friday's presentation of programmes of fairs which will be organised by the ZV this year, drew a considerable number of representatives of the Bosnian companies, although they have not so much used opportunities of cooperation with ZV as they were expected. According to Pavelic, 59 companies from Bosnia-Herzegovina have exhibited at the ZV so far, and it is less than expected. This has not been in accordance with ambitions that both countries have, Pavelic explained. We do not believe that the basic reason (for a small number of presented Bosnian firms) may be the price for the exhibition stands we offer, he added. The reason for this may be that Bosnian businessmen are still trying to overcome fundamental problems such as the survival at the market or they are simply faced with the difficulty how to restart production, the ZV director said. Despite the current problems, Bosnia-Herzegovina remains a very important partner for Croatia and ,thus, for the Zagreb Fair, he stressed. In 1998, Croatia recorded the biggest increase in its export to Bosnia with a surplus in the trade with this neighbourly country. Last year Croatia's deficit dropped by a billion dollars at its trade balance, and the relations in the trade with Bosnia helped substantially to achieve this result, Pavelic said. (hina) mm ms