PORTO: CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER HOLDS BILATERAL MEETINGS

PORTO, Dec 6 (Hina) - During a one-day visit to Porto, Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula met up with his Yugoslav counterpart Goran Svilanovic, signing a joint statement confirming the successful end of negotiations on the Prevlaka peninsula. #L# Picula also spoke with the state secretary at the German Foreign Ministry and his Norwegian and Swiss counterparts. Picula informed them of steps the Croatian government intended to take in the next few months in efforts to strengthen Croatia's chances to apply for membership to the European Union. "If we do our part of the job, Germany definitely remains in the circle of countries on whose support we are seriously counting on," Picula said following talks with Germany's Hans Martin Bury. Picula spoke with Norway's Foreign Minister Jan Petersen about NATO and informed him of Croatia's intention to develop certain lines of co-operation with Albania and Macedonia, countries which were not invited to NATO's membership at the recent summit in Prague. The meeting with Swiss Foreign Minister Joseph Deiss was an opportunity to congratulate Switzerland for joining the U.N. As far as the OSCE ministerial conference in Porto is concerned, Picula told Croatian journalists he had expressed Croatia's readiness to contribute to global and regional security systems. "In line with our abilities, and above all through the policy of co- operation, I believe that we are gradually lowering the level of tension in the region, which is the presumption of better economic co-operation and further stabilisation of relations in this still unsafe and unconsolidated section of Europe," Picula said in Porto, immediately before departing for Zagreb. (hina) ha/sp sb