YUGOSLAV CONSULATE GENERAL OPENED IN RIJEKA

RIJEKA, March 21 (Hina) - The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) on Tuesday opened its consulate general in the biggest Croatian seaport of Rijeka, and Yugoslav Consul General in Rijeka is Vladimir Slana.#L# On this occasion, Radivoj Rajakovic, an assistant to the FRY Foreign Ministry's Secretary-General, said the opening of the consulate in that Croatian city was yet another practical step in normalisation of the relations between Croatia and Yugoslavia. The offices in Rijeka will try contribute to the circulation of people and goods and benefit citizens, Rajakovic added. The head of the Rijeka-based branch of the Serb cultural society "Prosvjeta", Milorad Milosevic asserted that the Serb ethnic community in Rijeka had survived the war being protected by this city that consistently preserved the civic identity. Consul General Slana told reporters that his work would cover Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Istria, Lika-Senj, and Karlovac Counties, and that he would advocate that bilateral relations between the two countries be based on dialogue rather than on monologues. At the very beginning he will try help create pre-condition for the return of as many as possible refugees. (hina) mm ms