SLOVENE FOREIGN MINISTER: RELATIONS WITH BELGRADE - EXCELLENT

BELGRADE, Sept 17 (Hina) - Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said in Belgrade on Monday relations between his country and Yugoslavia were excellent and stressed Slovenia was interested in make them even better. Following a meeting with his Yugoslav counterpart Goran Svilanovic, Rupel told reporters today's opening of the Slovene embassy in Belgrade was "a step toward such relations between the two countries." Rupel will open the Slovene embassy later in the afternoon. Commenting on his meeting with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica, Rupel said he was satisfied with the Yugoslav president having accepted his invitation to visit Slovenia. The two foreign ministers told reporters they had discussed several agreements of which the first one, regarding air transport, should be signed early next month, during Svilanovic's visit to the Slovene capital. Svilanovic described the talks as 'concrete' and added they also tackled agreements on road transport, cancellation of visa requirements for diplomats, free trade, investment stimulation and cancelling double taxation. The Slovene foreign minister also held talks with the Yugoslav parliament's upper house speaker Dragoljub Micunovic. The meeting, which Rupel described as very friendly, tackled relations between Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, and the situation in the Balkans in the light of Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the United States. (hina) rml