CROATIAN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES RUSSIAN INSTITUTE FOR INT. RELATIONS

MOSCOW, April 18 (Hina) - Croatia must demonstrate it is capable of cooperating in the region in order to become a reliable candidate for united Europe, President Stjepan Mesic said in Moscow on Thursday. #L# Addressing the Russian Foreign Ministry's Institute for International Relations, Mesic said he advocated regional cooperation also because it was in Croatia's interest, especially economically. "I see no danger in it, neither the danger of the creation of a third Yugoslavia nor the danger of closure within the region and distancing from Europe," he said. Mesic recalled there had been two Yugoslavias which broke up in bloodbaths. "Nobody certainly wishes to repeat that experiment again," he said. "Closure within the region is out of the question simply because all the region's countries, although geographically in Europe, wish to both economically and politically join united Europe," said the Croatian president. He maintained South Eastern Europe finally had real conditions to shake off the "powder keg" description, these being democracy, the respect of human rights, including those of minorities, the rule- of-law, and the renouncing of aspirations for others' territory. "With the constructive help of the international community, with Russia playing an important part, I think we can achieve that," said Mesic. On the last of his three-day trip to Russia, Mesic met the Moscow and Russia patriarch Alexei II. Later today he travels to Kazakhstan for a return visit. (hina) ha