CROATIAN GOVERNMENT ON THE PARIS CLUB DEAL

ZAGREB, March 23 (Hina) - The agreement with the Paris Club means the opening of possibilities for the quicker inflow of foreign capital in Croatia, while at the same time creating the preconditions for the start of talks with the London Club of commercial banks, Prime Minister Nikica Valentic told a Government session today. The agreement with the Paris Club had resulted in the reorganisation of Croatia's loans from 17 countries. A large part of the debt were company debts, Finance Minister, Bozo Prka said. He added that a proposal would be put to parliament that debts of war-damaged firms and firms from the temporarily occupied areas be converted into part of the public debt. Prka said that debt which could not be reorganised totalled more than 200 million (U.S. dollars) which had to be met by October 31. State debt was more than 50 million (U.S. dollars), which would be paid off from the Budget, and the rest would be met by companies. In the continuation of the session, Government deputy prime minister Borislav Skegro said that in February exports totalled 330 million U.S. dollars, while imports amounted 550 million. Skegro believed these figures showed a step forward because trade was twice as high than in February last year. (hina) jn sd mms 231757 MET mar 95