AUSTRIAN, CROATIAN INTERIOR MINISTERS DISCUSS POLICE COOPERATION

TROGIR, June 8 (Hina) - Interior Ministers of Croatia and Austria Sime Lucin and Ernest Strasser held talks today, after which they announced Austria's professional training for Croatian border police and the establishment of a data base on the course of illegal migrations between Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Germany. Lucin said the two ministers spoke about fighting illegal migrations and people smuggling, drug trafficking, organised crime and terrorism, as well as about cooperation between special units of the two countries' police forces. Minister Strasser stressed Austria supports the Croatian government in drawing closer to the EU and becoming its full member. "Austria's Interior Ministry supports everything the Croatian police is today doing in its efforts to function by joint European standards, and we gladly cooperate in fighting the smuggling of people and narcotics, and securing borders which will soon become European borders," Strasser said. He pointed out the importance of involvement in changing laws on Croatian citizenship, as a condition for joining the EU. The Interior Ministry is preparing a number of amendments to the law on citizenship, primarily to the famous Article 12, so there will no longer be the discretionary right of individuals to determine who may gain citizenship and who may not. The law will be formed by European standards, Croatia's Lucin stressed. (hina) lml sb