POLISH PRESIDENT SUPPORTS CROATIA'S RAPPROCHEMENT WITH EU, NATO

ZAGREB, April 27 (Hina) - Poland strongly supports Croatia's rapprochement with the European Union and NATO, the Polish head of state said in Zagreb on Friday, adding this process created a favourable climate for economic cooperation. "We are benevolently following the process of Croatia's rapprochement with certain international institutions and organisations," President Aleksandar Kwasniewski said in an address to the Croatian parliament. Poland is a NATO member and is in the first group of candidates for access to the EU. According to Kwasniewski, Croatia "deserves recognition for the ongoing state and social democratisation process." "Today Croatia is a law-based state developing in the economic sense, a state which respects the rights of minorities, a state independently building its future," he said. Before the address, the Polish President met with the Croatian parliament's leadership, which was headed by deputy speaker and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Zdravko Tomac. Tomac said Croatia wanted ties with Mediterranean and Central European countries, Poland included, and not only with Southeast Europe as indicated by the international community. (hina) ha sb