CROATIAN PRESIDENT EVALUATES WORK OF EUROPEAN ECONOMIC SUMMIT

SALZBURG, Sept 17 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in Salzburg on Tuesday that concrete action regarding the accession of transition countries to the European Union and of investments into Croatia and the region were discussed much more at this year's European Economic Summit than in previous years. #L# Today the European Economic Summit has a different quality, with a great deal more talk about concrete investments into Croatia and the region, and there is a great deal more talk about concrete action required for transition countries to be able to access the EU as soon as possible, Mesic said at a press conference. During the two-day visit to Salzburg, Mesic met with Austrian President Thomas Klestil, the European commissioner for EU expansion, Guenther Verheugen, Bosnian Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija, and the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Jean Lemierre. Asked by journalists what Croatia's expectations were with regard to EU expansion, Mesic stated, "the sooner we meet standards, the sooner we enter the European Union." Expansion commissioner Verheugen said at a plenary session on Monday that Brussels must not postpone the expansion, but also that countries such as Serbia and the Ukraine should not raise their hopes that negotiations in this regard would commence soon. At a meeting with representatives of European banks and investment companies, Mesic spoke about concrete investments into Croatia. Lemierre informed Mesic that the EBRD had large investments in Croatia's private sector. The Merill Lynch brokerage and investment firm placed Croatia on the list of countries that should be invested into. There was also talk of investments into the formerly war-ravaged Vukovar and its port, as well as into the infrastructure, tourism and direct production. On Monday Mesic attended a working dinner with Bosnian Foreign Minister Lagumdzija and Serbian Premier Zoran Djindjic. At the dinner there were "opposing opinions" with regard to the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mesic said at the press conference. Sources close to the Croatian President confirmed that Djindjic said that Europe had not worked out a strategy towards Southeast Europe, while Lagumdzija disagreed. Mesic had met with Lagumdzija earlier on Monday as well. They agreed the possibility should be considered of extending the period during which the Croatia-Bosnia border may be crossed even with IDs. During Tuesday morning, Mesic met with his Austrian host, President Klestil, whom he presented with a cheque for 5,000 overnight stays in Croatia for children of the victims of recent floods in Austria. Mesic was thanked for that and other help by the prime minister of the Salzburg Region, Franz Schausberger. Mesic was presented with the Salzburg Cup of Gratitude. (hina) sp/ha sb