CROATIAN FINANCE MINISTER HOLDS TALKS WITH NORWEGIAN INVESTORS

OSLO, Nov 18 (Hina) - On the second day of his official and working visit to Norway, Croatian Finance Minister Borislav Skegro held talks on Wednesday with his Norwegian counterpart Gudmund Restadom. The two ministers discussed cooperation, and Skegro officially +invited his Norwegian colleague to visit Croatia. The Croatian Minister also met with Restadom's deputy, Endre Skjorestad, with whom he exchanged experience in passing state budgets in both countries. Skegro also held talks with representatives of Norwegian financing organisations and banks, headed by Tor Johansen, president of "Eksportfinans", a Norwegian association for private capital. The representatives expressed interest in different ways of investing in Croatia, particularly in shipbuilding. The Croatian Minister invited his Norwegian collocutors to participate in the announced privatisation of Croatian banks and public firms. He suggested that possible investors cooperate with the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Croatian commercial banks with regard to loan arrangements for the shipbuilding industry. (hina) it/ha