RADOS IN LONDON: VISIT INDICATING EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD RELATIONS

LONDON, March 16 (Hina) - The official visit to Great Britain marks "the continuation of exceptionally good relations which have been established between Croatia and Great Britain over recent months," Croatian Defence Minister Jozo Rados said in London on Thursday. Rados said he and British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon had discussed a memorandum on understanding which, once signed, would serve as the basis of future military co-operation between Great Britain and Croatia. Also discussed were bilateral programmes with Great Britain within NATO's Partnership for Peace programme. Talking to the Croatian press, Rados said he also held talks with British army Chief-Of-Staff General Charles Guthrie, the state secretary at the British Foreign Ministry, Keith Vaz, members of the British parliament's Lower House Committee on Defence, and members of a British-Croatian all-party parliamentary group. During those talks, Rados presented the way in which Croatia's new government would carry out reforms in the Ministry of Defence and the army. The defence minister pointed out those reforms, as well as transparency in financing the Croat component of the Bosnian Federation army, should aim at "establishing clear and stable relations in the Southeast Europe region." Asked to comment on allegations in an Israeli paper which stated that the Croatian government had opted for United States F-16 aircraft instead of having Israeli additionally work on Croatia's MIG-21s, Rados said it was correct the government had decided to reconsider bringing its MIGs up-to-date, but clearly denied that Washington had decided to "give (F-16 aircraft) in present" to Croatia. (hina) ha jn