Regional economic forum held in central Croatia

HRVATSKA KOSTAJNICA, 21 March 2001 - An "Economic Forum" aimed at facilitating business contacts and developing joint commercial projects, investments and economic cooperation at local, national and international levels was held in Hrvatska Kostajnica, Central Croatia, today, under the auspices of the OSCE Mission to Croatia.

The Forum aimed in particular to encourage the revitalization of contacts between trade partners from both sides of Croatia-Bosnia-Herzegovina borders in the areas covered by the OSCE Field Office in Hrvatska Kostajnica, including Novska, Dvor, Hrvatska Dubica, Donji Kukuruzari, Sunja, Majur, Jasenovac and Lipovljani.

The Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Ambassador Robert W. Becker, speaking at the forum, said: "It has been brought home to us again during this seminar that it's only through human initiative and financial investment that the necessary economic revitalization will take place". "We are well aware of the difficult situation that those who live in this border region are facing and it is our common duty to spread a will to succeed among them, to help them focus on what they can do to undertake new initiatives to start up in new areas of activity", Becker added.

Up to 100 participants attended the Forum including businessmen from Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina, financial institutions, Croatian local and state authorities, representatives of embassies, international organizations and agencies including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (OHR).

The event was organized by the OSCE Coordination Centre in Sisak as part of a general OSCE effort to assist with the revitalization of the economy and the normalization of life in war affected areas in Croatia. OSCE recognizes the crucial importance of the economy as a key issue in the normalization of post-war life.

For more information, please contact Alessandro Fracassetti, Spokesperson, OSCE Mission to Croatia, Florijana Andraseca 14, 10 000 Zagreb, tel.: +385 1 3096 620, fax: + 385 1 3096 297, e-mail: osce-croatia@oscecro.org