PARLIAMENT PRESIDENT RECEIVES GERMAN CDU/CSU DELEGATION

ZAGREB, Feb 18 (Hina) - Croatian Parliament President Vladimir Seks on Wednesday received a delegation of Germany's Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union parties, headed by Klaus-Peter Willsch, the Bundestag commissioner for relations with the Croatian parliament, the Croatian parliament said in a press release.#L# Talks focused on ways of intensifying the existing parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. Seks informed the German delegation that a Croatian-German friendship group would be formed in the Croatian parliament on February 24, which he said would further incite the development of parliamentary relations. Seks said the parties in the Croatian parliament were united as to the fulfilment of all political criteria and conditions necessary for the European Commission to approve Croatia's European Union membership application this spring and for Croatia to be granted admission candidate status. Wilsch praised what he said was the new government's very constructive and positive policy regarding minorities in general as well as the fact that the German minority had its representative in the Croatian parliament for the first time. Seks invited Bundestag speaker Wolfgang Thierse to officially visit Croatia and its parliament. (Hina) ha sb