MAYORS DISCUSS BOOSTING COOPERATION BETWEEN ZAGREB AND MAINZ

( Editorial: --> 7162 ) ZAGREB, August 31 (Hina) - Zagreb Mayor Marina Matulovic-Dropulic received the Mayor of Mainz, Jens Beutel, in the Croatian capital on Monday. Both officials expressed a wish for a 30-year fruitful cooperation between the two sister cities to continue. Mayor Dropulic thanked Beutel for the help Mainz had offered Zagreb and its inhabitants during the Homeland War, but also for the exchange of experience in organising local government and self- government. Dropulic briefed her guest on the problems and plans for her city. She pointed out the increase in the number of inhabitants of Zagreb during the war by 300,000. The Croatian capital's population currently amounted to approximately one million, a situation which posed numerous problems for communal infrastructure. Mayor Beutel offered the city assistance in improving local government, as well as other necessary help. His visit to Zagreb has generated considerable interest among Austrian journalists. Today's talks also included business and tourist relations between Mainz and Zagreb, as well as tourism as a special business area. Mayor Beutel announced the arrival of a Mainz delegation at the Zagreb International Autumn Fair, and invited Mayor Dropulic to visit Mainz in the year 2000. In 2000, Mainz celebrates the 600th anniversary of the birth of Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of the movable type printing machine. (hina) jn jfk /mbr 311926 MET aug 98