CROATIAN AND SLOVENE FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS DEBT

OTOCEC-OB-KRKI, Feb 13 (Hina) - Croatian and Slovene Finance Ministers, Bozo Prka and Mitja Gaspari respectively, today described their meeting in the Slovene town of Otocac-ob-Krki as a step forward in solving financial problems between the two countries. They agreed that a debt of around 309 million German marks should be returned to Croatian citizens who had had foreign exchange deposits in the Croatian branches of Slovenia's Ljubljanska Banka before the collapse of the former Yugoslav Federation. The debt should be transformed into new foreign currency savings in Slovenia, Prka said. The Croatian side demanded that depositors with small amounts be serviced in Croatia, he added. The problem of another 560 million German marks which Croatia had converted into the public debt would be discussed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries. Gaspari said today's talks had also revolved around the two countries' negotiations with foreign commercial banks and the Paris Club. In this regard the interests of Slovenia and Croatia were congruent, he added. (hina) mar vm mms 132035 MET feb 95