NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS SEEK ADEQUATE WORK CONDITIONS

( Editorial: --> 5397 ) ZAGREB, Dec 2 (Hina) - Croatian authorities have not shown a desire to create a more adequate framework for asserting the work of non- profit organisations so that they could become active partners in resolving important social problems, the president of the Centre for the Development of Non-Profit Organisations, Gojko Bezovan, said on Friday. At a news conference to present the conclusions of the first Croatian forum of non-government organisations (NGOs) held on November 21-22, Bezovan said that possibilities of cooperation between local government units and NGOs in resolving burning everyday problems had not been used. The forum concluded that there was a substantial setback in the development of NGOs in Croatia in comparison to other transition countries because Croatia had not been admitted to "Phare" and similar programmes. Foreign organisations operating in Croatia were urged to focus more on local problems and to take into account local potentials for developing a partnership with local NGOs. (hina) vm mm 021811 MET dec 97