CRO. FOREIGN MINISTER OPENS CONSULATE GENERAL IN BANJA LUKA

BANJA LUKA, April 30 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula opened a Croatian consulate general in the Bosnian Serb capital of Banja Luka on Monday, saying it should help with refugee returns, reconstruction, and the protection of Croats' rights.#L# The consulate will focus on two-way refugee returns to pre-war homes and the reconstruction of war-ravaged areas, Picula said at the opening, which was attended by Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic, Bosnian Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija and Banja Luka bishop Franjo Komarica. "Special attention will be dedicated to issues pertaining to the realisation and protection of the Croats' rights," Picula said. He added the consulate general would also work on the promotion of economic, transport, and cultural ties. The consul in Banja Luka will be appointed shortly, he said. "This is just one of the signs that relations between our two countries are progressing successfully," said Bosnian Foreign Minister Lagumdzija. He added relations with neighbours, Croatia in particular, had intensified since the change of the ruling structures in both Croatia and Bosnia. Bosnian Serb PM Ivanic voiced hope the consulate general "will help establish even better ties, increase the trade level and... export from Republika Srpska." He added the consulate would be the place where many people solved their problems pertaining to property rights, two-way returns, and housing. (hina) ha