FINANCE MINISTER PRESENTS CROATIA'S ECONOMY AT LONDON CONFERENCE

LONDON, Dec 1 (Hina) - In 1999 Croatia will carry out a partial privatisation of its leading infrastructure companies, Finance Minister Borislav Skegro said in London on Tuesday. Speaking at a conference on investment possibilities in Croatia, organised by the investment company Salomon Smith Barney, Skegro said the Croatian Telecommunications (HT), which is best prepared for privatisation, would be the first to go to the international market. The HT will be followed by some banks which, following their financial reorganisation, are now state-owned. The state plans to sell 25 per cent of shares in the HT, whose overall value amounts to about US$1.3 billion. The privatisation of large infrastructure firms, such as the Croatian Power Supply (HEP) and Oil Industry (INA) "is more complex because of national interests", but those projects were also implementable, Skegro assessed. Despite the financial crisis that has caught economies in transition, Croatia is capable of accessing the international capital market next year. The business conference in London is a "road show", the presentation of Croatia's economy and investment possibilities Skegro said. After London, the presentation will continue in the United States - in New York on Wednesday, and in Boston on Thursday. (hina) rml