FOREIGN MINISTRY SOURCE ON CROATIA'S RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBOURS

ZAGREB, Oct 23 (Hina) - Croatia will be opening a border crossing with Bosnia-Herzegovina near Hrvatska Kostajnica at the end of November, thus preventing any possibility of the usurpation of Croatian territory which the authorities of the Bosnian Serb entity had tried to do on several occasions, the last one being some ten days ago, said a source at the Croatian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. Representatives of the Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska claim the border between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina at Hrvatska Kostajnica was a moot point, and last week again stationed special police units in the area which they consider their territory. Following a Croatian protest, the police withdrew, and NATO-led SFOR troops were deployed. Two years ago the two countries signed a Border Agreement which clearly shows the section of the border between Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina as non-contentious, depicting the border along the Uncica River. A reconstruction of a bridge near Hrvatska Kostajnica, financed by the EU, will be completed by the end of the month, followed by preparations and formalities for the opening of the border crossing for passengers and freight traffic. The crossing will be set up on the east bank of the Una River, between Una and the Uncica rivers, on the border between the two countries, the source stated, adding the crossing would prevent Republika Srpska from trying to usurp Croatian territory. As regards relations with other neighbouring countries, the same source announced that Croatian and Yugoslav foreign ministers Tonino Picula and Goran Svilanovic would me meeting in New York on the margins of a UN General Assembly session on November 11 and 12. Croatia's interest is that all issues for which solutions are easily found, primarily in culture and economy, as well as the visa regime, start being solved with the goal of normalising relations between the two countries, said the ministry source. Croatia thus expects Yugoslavia to make actions in that direction, one of them being returning an art collection stolen from Vukovar. The condition of the art collection, which could fit in 16 trailer trucks, is being assessed by experts of the Croatian Culture Ministry and the Vukovar Museum in Novi Sad. The two countries' priorities in the process of normalising relations largely differ, and an important task by experts will be to lessen the degree of difference. Croatia should not, therefore, tie the issue of its southernmost peninsula of Prevlaka with the start of normalisation of relations, no matter how important it is, because doing so would be counterproductive, the ministry source asserted. A month ago the Croatian side forwarded to the Yugoslav side a well- drafted and balanced proposal to solving the issue which also takes the constitutional crisis in Yugoslavia into consideration. If a reply should arrive quickly, Prevlaka could be discussed during the New York meeting between Picula and Svilanovic, although the final solution to the problem, the source stressed, could realistically be expected after the problems with Yugoslavian Constitution are solved. Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel will be arriving in Zagreb in mid-November, but is not expected to discuss the Piran Bay border with his Croatian counterpart, although the issue might be mentioned, the source said. A Croatian refusal to sign a border agreement with Slovenia would probably "lead to certain disruptions in relations between the two countries," and in case of possible arbitration, about which Croatia and Slovenia must reach an agreement, it would not be unrealistic to expect Slovenes to request the border agreement initialled by the presidents of the two countries to be its starting point, said the source. (hina) lml sb