CROATIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES FRENCH SENATE DELEGATION

ZAGREB, Sept 19 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Thursday received a delegation of the French Senate headed by Senator Alain Gerard who is at the same time the president of the French-Croatian All-Party Parliamentary Group in the French Senate, the President's Office reported on Thursday evening. #L# This is the first official visit by a French Senate delegation to Croatia. Alain Gerard said that France was carefully and with understanding monitoring Croatia's approachment to Euro-Atlantic integrations President Mesic said Croatia cannot and does not wish to remain outside processes of uniting Europe. The only alternative to European unification is isolation and that could have disastrous consequences, Mesic said. They who are opposed to Croatia's accession to a united Europe are not afraid of Croatia's future but are afraid of losing their privileges, the president said. The French delegation was interested in relations between Croatia and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Mesic reiterated the attitude that the Homeland War was a war of defence and no-one can bring it into question or intend to do so, a press release said. With regard to crimes that were unfortunately committed on the Croatian side, they who are responsible for these crimes need to be tried and sentenced so that any guilt can be individualised and an end can be put to collective guilt, Mesic said. During the day, the French Senate delegation was received by Croatian Sabor President Zlatko Tomcic. The delegation also met with members of the Sabor Committee for foreign affairs and inter- parliamentary co-operation and members of the inter-parliamentary French-Croatian Friendship group of the Croatian Sabor. (hina) sp sb