PRESIDENT TUDJMAN MEETS CROATIAN BUSINESSMEN - STATEMENT

ZAGREB, April 7 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman received in the Presidential Palace last night a delegation of Croatian businessmen from home and abroad, the Presidential Office said in a statement this morning. The delegation included owners, general managers and directors of the following companies: Zivko Bosnjak of "Saponija" from Osijek, Zeljko Covic of "Pliva" from Zagreb, Dragutin Drk of "Vindija" from Varazdin, Mladen Jakopec of "Mesna Industrija Jakopec", Dinka Kalinic of "IBM" for Croatia, Miroslav Kutle of "Globus" from Zagreb, Boris Lalic of "Zagrebacka Pivovara" from Zagreb, Ante Letica of "Brodomerkur" from Split, Zvonimir Majdancic of "Podravka" from Koprivnica, Boris Marcac of "Kras" from Zagreb, Lovro Misir of "Misir Sonnenland Reisen" from Essen, Zlatko Novak of "Intercontinental" from Zagreb, Franc Palma of "Riviera" from Porec, Mladen Sebelic of "Brodokomerc" from Rijeka, Josip Selej of "Limex" from Donji Miholjac, Ivica Todoric of "Agrokor" from Zagreb, Ciril Zovko of "Importanne" from Zagreb, Marko Zupan of "Exportdrvo" from Zagreb, Sasa Razmilic, a representative of the Luksic Group in Croatia, and Stjepan Safran, a representative of the Croatian Crafts Guild. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Borislav Skegro, Economy Minister Nadan Vidosevic, Privatization Minister Ivan Penic and Presidential Economic Affairs Adviser Djuro Njavro. During four-hour talks, the President spoke about the favourable progress of the peace process in Croatia, with special emphasis on the opening of the Zagreb-Lipovac-Belgrade highway and the Zagreb-Vinkovci-Belgrade and Split-Knin-Zagreb- Western Europe railway lines. The President spoke about the role of Croatian businessman in the process of Croatia gaining its independence, and about prospects in the Croatian economy in the light of the improving international position of sovereign Croatia. Special emphasis was laid on the support of Croatian companies to the economy of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and on economic relations in the future Confederation. The President stressed guidelines defined in his report of 22 December 1994 on the state of the nation. He recalled Croatian Government decisions passed at a session under his chairmanship, and stressed the need for accelerating the privatization process and the more efficient implementation of state policy. The continuation of economic life is connected with the continuation of the reintegration of temporarily occupied Croatian areas, the statement said. The President said that business conditions in Croatia should be better than abroad. The President said that Croatia expected great progress in economic relations with the United States and the European Union. Demanding a peaceful settlement in Croatia we are paving the way for even better conditions for economic development, he added. The President also spoke about the promotion of Croatian products, tourism and business performance. In this regard the case of Lovro Misir, owner of "Misir Reisen" and a number of hotels, was given as an example. Mr Misir was granted by municipal authorities of the German city of Essen, within three days from the day he submitted an application, the right to use free of charge 3,000 square metres of industrial land for a period of ten years provided he employed 20 workers during that time. In the continuation of talks at a working supper, the businessmen discussed what kind of a chamber of commerce Croatia needed. Representatives of almost all of the 20 successful and mostly privatized companies talked about their work and problems they encounter. Most of them stressed the need for solving problems stemming from the former system as well as from circumstances under which business activities were currently conducted. Deputy Prime Minister Skegro and Ministers Penic and Vidosevic underlined the cooperativeness of the Croatian Government. They said that apart from these successful companies, there were also those facing problems and that the Government was solving those problems in line with its global policy. Several businessmen were particularly pleased to stress the renewed interest of tourists in spending their holdidays in Croatia. The talks also focused on various aspects of business activities, the promotion and protection of Croatian trademarks, double taxation, and the problem of labour force at the height of tourist season. The businessmen paid special attention to their activities in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, stressing that Croatia must support it as well as the Confederation. It was concluded that Croatia was on the way to a peaceful settlement and that it was creating conditions for economic development. In this regard the President called on successful Croatian businessmen abroad to return to Croatia to encourage its development, the statement concluded. (hina) vm 071231 MET apr 95