RETURNEES AND CRAFTSMEN TO GET CREDITS FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

( Editorial: --> 1141 ) ZAGREB, Feb 11 (Hina) - The future Croatian small and middle-scale entrepreneurs and craftsmen, as well as returnees from Germany can in 1998 count on at least US$13.3 million of credit funds for the development of business in Croatia said representatives of the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR), the Bonn- based Deutche Ausgleichsbank (DtA) and the Croatian Craftsmen Association who signed a cooperation agreement in Zagreb on Wednesday. Chairman of the HBOR Managing Board, Anton Kovacev, stressed that the HBOR had through different bases granted a total of 3,652 credits worth over US$65 million for small and middle-scale businesses. There are 85,000 craft shops in Croatia currently, in which 120,000 persons are employed. (hina) lm mm 111812 MET feb 98