CROATIAN DELEGATION TO PAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO POLAND

ZAGREB, Feb 11 (Hina) - A Croatian delegation, headed by Prime Minister Ivica Racan, on Sunday travels to Poland for a two-day official visit, the purpose of which is to use the countries' good political relations to stimulate their economic cooperation. On Monday, the Croatian premier should meet Polish President Aleksandar Kwasniewski, Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek and senior parliamentary officials. The Croatian delegation should on the same day visit the Polish Chamber of Commerce. Croatia's Transport Minister Alojz Tusek and his Polish counterpart Jerzy Widek are expected to sign an agreement on maritime transport. On Tuesday, the Croatian officials will travel to Krakow, where they will visit a plant of the Croatian pharmaceutical company Pliva. Apart from Racan and Tusek, the Croatian delegation also includes Foreign Minister Tonino Picula, Culture Minister Antun Vujic, Deputy Economy Minister Maja Brinar, Croatian Chamber of Commerce president Nadan Vidosevic, several business people and Croatia's chief negotiator with the European Union, Neven Mimica. As Poland is ahead of Croatia as regards talks on admission to the EU, its experience in the negotiating process could be valuable to Croatia in its further talks on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement as could its support for Croatia's bids to enter Euro- Atlantic associations. Political relations between the two countries are on a high level and there are no open issues between the two countries, but there is an extreme imbalance in their economic relations. Croatia exports primarily food products, medicaments, alcoholic drinks and aluminium to Poland and imports cars and furniture. Croatia is interested in improving cooperation in the shipbuilding industry and traffic infrastructure as well as in strengthening the military cooperation and attracting a higher number of Polish tourists. The two countries have signed numerous agreements, conventions and protocols. The most important one, on free trade, is being negotiated and could be signed by the end of this year. Last year, high Polish state officials met their Croatian counterparts on several occasions - President Kwasniewski attended the inauguration of Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and President Mesic visited Poland on two occasions - in June and in October, when he and Kwasniewski opened Croatia's Podravka food industry plant in Kostrzyn. (hina) rml