USAID GIVES US$156,000-WORTH COMPUTER EQUIPMENT TO BOSNIAN CENTRAL BAN

BAN $ K SARAJEVO, Sept 29 (Hina) - The U.S. Agency for International Development donated computer equipment, worth 156,000 dollars, to the Bosnian Central Bank on Monday. The Bank Governor Serge Rober thanked for this donation and said that the World Bank and the European Union had enabled Bosnia- Herzegovina to have a solid central bank at the present that is functioning well and will work better in the future. The opening of the national bank contributed to peace in the country, Rober added. The U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia, Richard Kauzlarich, who was present on Monday's donating ceremony, said that the U.S. Administration and the USAID had the task to help Bosnian economic institutions. The ambassador said that every bank in the world should have a modern information net today, and that the donated computer equipment was the first step to ensure such net in Bosnia. The USAID Bosnian mission chief, Craig Buck, said that the assistance of 156,000 dollars to the Central Bank consisted of two parts - the management system and English language teaching of bank employees. The project covered 25 computer work stations, 17 laser printers and software, Buck said. He explained that this donation to the Central Bank was part of a broad USAID programme for support to the economic reform in Bosnia, and added that the Agency earmarked 15 million dollars yearly for this purpose. (hina) jn mš 291739 MET sep 97