BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 5344

ZAGREB, June 10 (Hina) - Croatia will be granted European Unioncandidate status at the Union's summit in Brussels next week, whilemembership negotiations should begin early next year, according todraft conclusions for the summit the committee of member countries'permanent representatives harmonised in Brussels on Thursday. Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader onThursday thanked the committee of EU member countries' permanentrepresentatives for adopting a decision which proposes grantingCroatia EU candidate status and convening in early 2005 anintergovernmental conference of EU members and Croatia to start entrytalks. The European Commissioner for ExternalAffairs, Chris Patten, arrived in southern Croatia's Dubrovnik onThursday evening, where he is scheduled to hold talks with ForeignMinister Miomir Zuzul, the ministry said in a press release. European integration ministers fromSoutheast Europe gathered in southern Croatia's Dubrovn