PM: CROATIA HAS FRANCE'S SUPPORT FOR JOINING EU, NATO IN NEAR FUTURE

PARIS, May 14 (Hina) - Croatia has France's firm support for its accelerated joining the European Union and NATO, Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said after talks with his French counterpart Lionel Jospin in Paris Monday. "We received, what is extremely important to us, (France's) firm support for Croatia's ambitions to join the European Union and NATO as soon as possible," Racan told reporters after the talks with the French Prime Minister. Racan and Jospin discussed the situation in Southeast Europe and other regions in Europe, particularly relations between Zagreb and Paris. "We decided there is a need and possibility for the strengthening of political, economic and cultural cooperation between Croatia and France," Racan said. The Croatian Prime Minister stressed he expected concrete results of the talks in the near future. Racan invited his French counterpart to visit Croatia, which Jospin accepted. "It was very indicative that I held talks with the French Prime Minister at the time the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Croatia and the European Union was initialled", Racan said, assessing the situation as an "interesting coincidence" with which Jospin was pleased. The French Prime Minister did not give a statement after the talks. Racan ended his working visit to Paris. (hina) it