BELGRADE: FRENCH PRESIDENT MEETS SENIOR YUGOSLAV OFFICIALS

BELGRADE, Dec 7 (Hina) - French President Jacques Chirac supported Belgrade's orientation in the settlement of relations within the Yugoslav federation, voicing willingness to personally advocate the preservation of Yugoslavia "as the joint state of Serbia and Montenegro," the Yugoslav government said in a statement on Friday. Chirac said this was a "stake in the realisation of (Yugoslavia's) broader integration into Europe" and vowed to "influence Montenegrin President" Milo Djukanovic to consent to the preservation of the joint state, resume dialogue and reject a referendum on Montenegro's independence, according to the statement. After talks with the French head of state, Djukanovic told reporters Montenegro agreed to resume talks but without conditions. "If we can't agree on this we have to get out of this stalemate, which is through a referendum as the only constitutional and the most democratic way," said Djukanovic. Chirac also met with Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, who told reporters later he had urged the French president to encourage investments in Yugoslavia. Djindjic said Chirac "promised" France would back Yugoslavia's bid to be granted European Union candidate status in 2004. While in Belgrade, Chirac also held talks with the president of the state commission for Kosovo, Nebojsa Covic, with whom he discussed the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 on Kosovo and settling the Kosovo issue by establishing cooperation between Belgrade and the new commander of the international peace troops in the province, France's Marcel Valentien. Earlier today, Yugoslav and French Foreign Ministers Goran Svilanovic and Hubert Vedrine held talks on topical issues concerning Yugoslavia. Svilanovic told Vedrine the advancement of relations with neighbours was one of Yugoslavia's foreign priorities, especially with ex-Yugoslav republics. (hina) ha