CROATIA TO JOIN CEFTA BY YEAR'S END?

BRATISLAVA, May 11 (Hina) - Croatia hopes to become a member of CEFTA by the end of the year, a Croatian government source said on Friday after Romania's prime minister said in Bratislava that his country was willing to sign a free trade agreement with Croatia in the near future. Romanian PM Adrian Nastase held talks with Croatian counterpart Ivica Racan on the margins of an international conference, "Europe's New Democracies: Leadership and Responsibility." To become a member of the Central European Free Trade Agreement, Croatia has to sign bilateral free trade agreements with each of the members. Croatia has signed them with Hungary and Slovenia, initialled them with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and completed negotiations with Poland. Croatia has wrapped a second negotiating round with Bulgaria and should commence negotiations with Romania, the last member, on June 18. The government source said the Romanian prime minister had been invited to visit Croatia in the autumn and agreed to sign a free trade agreement on that occasion. Croatia could submit a membership request in September, at a conference of CEFTA foreign ministers, and become a member by year's end. (hina) ha