NEW INTERNATIONAL OFFERING OF PLIVA SHARES EXPECTED IN APRIL

( Editorial: --> 3057 ) ZAGREB, Feb 19 (Hina) - The Croatian Government is planning to make a new inernational offering of 14.16% of the stock of the Pliva pharmaceutical company in April, as soon as the financial statements for 1997 have been posted. The first offer for sale was made in October 1997 by the Daiwa Europe bank as global coordinator. However, owing to a sharp fall in share prices on 27 and 28 October (the so-called "grey Monday" and "black Tuesday"),the offering was postponed. The US company Merrill Lynch has since joined Daiwa Europe as co-coordinator. Pliva was the first company from a transition country to be fully admitted to the London Stock Exchange in 1996. According to the preliminary reports, Pliva's gross earnings in the first six months of 1996 topped the previous year's earnings in the same period by 13.9 percent. (hina) mm as 191146 MET feb 98