A BRIEF LOOK AT CROATIAN PRESS ON THURSDAY

ZAGREB, Feb 9 (Hina) - "Last Warning to Debtors" screams a bold two-inch headline on the front page of today's VJESNIK. The article is about the Government's announcement yesterday that tougher measures will be taken against firms dodging health and retirement payments for their employees. Under the headline "It's All a Mistake - Why Did They Put Us on That List of Debtors?" the paper carries interviews with managers of the firms that had been quoted at the Government session as major debtors to the Health Care Fund. Most of the managers insisted that their companies regularly met current payments, but had problems with interests on debts contracted between 1990 and 1993. Some of the companies had stopped payments because of the Health Ministry's interest rate, which they said was much higher than the current Finance Ministry rate. Still others pleaded war damage and war-related lack of funds. VJESNIK announces the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Fascist Alliance, which is being prepared by an ad-hoc committee. The committee is expected to set the date for the celebration in two weeks. Today's VECERNJI LIST also granted extensive coverage to the Government session, under the headline "Companies Forgetful of Health Care and Pensions." An article headlined "Last-Ditch Optimism" discusses the framework and possible outcomes of Juppe's initiative for a tripartite summit in Paris, involving Tudjman, Izetbegovic and Milosevic. A comment piece by Mirko Galic, headlined "Europe to Take Makeup Exam," attempts to define Europe's attitude to the crisis in former Yugoslavia. "When it could (intervene), Europe was reluctant: there was no unity, interests diverged and analyses did not match... Now that Europe is finally ready to do something, it is no longer certain it will work: there is a unified approach, but now there are Washington and Moscow to be reckoned with," Galic says. (hina) as vm 091218 MET feb 95