SANADER SAYS CROATIA WILL HELP BOSNIA IN STABILISATION AND ASSOCIATION PROCESS

MOSTAR, Feb 25 (Hina) - Croatia is ready to help Bosnia with its experience so that Bosnia could sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union as soon as possible, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said in Mostar on Wednesday evening after the first official meeting with the chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Council of Minister Adnan Terzic.#L# Croatia and Bosnia are familiar with one another, they have a shared history and they will have a shared future in a united Europe, Sanader said. He stressed Bosnia and Croatia were two friendly countries and their friendship would overcome open issues. The Croatian prime minister particularly emphasised the problem of the equality of the Croat people in Bosnia. He added the plan was to set up a special council which would deal with the promotion of the two countries economic ties. Addressing reporters after the talks with Sanader, Prime Minister Terzic said the Bosnian Council of Ministers would visit Zagreb in late March at Sanader's invitation. He said the two countries' relations were improving and agreed that Bosnia could benefit from Croatia's experience in adopting European standards. Sanader also visited the Mostar Universaty and said his government would allocate 20 million kuna from the 2004 state budget for the needs of the only university in Bosnia in which Croatian is the official language. (Hina) it sb