BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH

HR-FAIR-Politika BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 4118HINA Zagreb, 17 September 2001RACAN DENIES CLAIMS CROATIA IS GIVING AWAY PIRAN BAYZAGREB, Sept 17 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan has denied claims that Croatia is giving Piran Bay away through the initialled border agreement with Slovenia. Croatia and Slovenia were trying to find a compromise solution to an open question, and we made no concessions, Racan stated at a regular monthly press briefing on Monday. He reiterated that relations with Slovenia were very important for Zagreb and regulating them exceeded the importance of bilateral relations. Croatia, which wants to become a member of the European Union as soon as possible, knows the path to the EU leads through Slovenia, Racan said. He added the agreement would not be signed if the Croatian Parliament did not support it, but warned that might have unwanted strategic consequences for the country. He also pointed out the importance