CROATIA EXPECTS FROM COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO HELP IN INVESTMENTS, ACCESS TO MARKETS

ZAGREB, Sept 16 (Hina) - Croatia will ask the Council of Europe to help it to have a more favourable access to western markets, investments and loans in order to alleviate consequences of the NATO air strikes against the neighbouring Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), said Nikola Obuljen, the head of a Croatian parliamentary delegation at the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly. The autumn session of this Assembly, scheduled between 20 and 24 September in Strasbourg, will revolve around the economic recovery of the south-east of Europe after the Kosovo conflict. A part of a report on the economic reconstruction, which will be handed over to parliamentarians, is based on results of last week's visit of a delegation of the Council of Europe's Assembly that was on a "fact-finding" mission in Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia. "We do not expect any direct assistance, but, in line with the Stability Pact, we seek a more favourable access to markets, particularly to the European Union, EFTA and CEFTA, to foreign investment and favourable loans for regional projects connecting a few countries," Obuljen told Hina on the phone on Thursday. Rapporteurs have proposed measures of support for six countries - Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania. According to a draft report, consequences of the bombardments were a huge wave of refugees many of whom fled to Albania and Macedonia and economies of which, along with the Yugoslav economy were mostly affected. Other consequences were disruption of trade and road and river traffic, mistrust of foreign investors and less tourists than expected. Croatia faced damage in tourism, exports and difficult approach to international capital markets. (hina) jn ms