AGENCY TO HELP NIJEMCI ATTRACT FOREIGN INVESTMENT

( Editorial: --> 3594 ) NIJEMCI, Nov 25 (Hina) - A delegation of the Croatian Investment Promotion Agency on Tuesday held talks with authorities of the municipality of Nijemci, eastern Croatia, on the possibilities of attracting foreign investment into the war-affected economy of Nijemci. As the economy has been totally destroyed, it is clear that it will not be easy to attract foreign investors immediately, but the potential of the municipality of Nijemci is big enough to arouse the interest of foreign investors probably soon, the executive director of the agency Vanja Kalogjera said after the meeting. According to Kalogjera, future foreign investment and the revitalisation of production will create new jobs which are a condition for the return of displaced residents to Nijemci. Mayor of Nijemci Ivica Klem said the municipality had an opportunity for presenting its economic potential to foreign investors. Klem said he was expecting the Agency to help draft projects aimed at attracting foreign investment into this municipality, which was rich with arable land and wood and where the infrastructure was developed. In the area 1,215 houses have been repaired to date, which represents 60 percent of the total of destroyed houses. So far, 1,500 residents, or 25 percent of the pre-war population, have returned to Nijemci. Klem said that the return of residents and the economic revitalisation would be completed by the end of next year. (hina) jn mš 251652 MET nov 97