CROATIAN, FRENCH PRESIDENTS HOLD TALKS IN PARIS

PARIS, May 11 (Hina) - France will certainly help us shorten the deadlines for Croatia's admission to all European associations, Croatian President Stipe Mesic said in Paris on Thursday following talks with French President Jacques Chirac. #L# President Chirac saw his high guest off to the front yard of the Elysee Palace, where a large group of Croatian and French reporters was waiting for him. In a short statement, President Mesic said the talks were "very fruitful and successful." I invited President Chirac to visit Croatia and Zagreb and Dubrovnik, which he accepted gladly, Mesic said. Mesic said the talks tackled all current topics: problems in the region and in Croatia's neighbourhood, as well as measures Croatia was taking with the aim of achieving democratic standards and its strategic goals. Asked whether they had discussed an agreement with the European Union on stabilisation and association, which Croatia wishes to negotiate about and sign already by the end of this year, Mesic said, "We will have full support: I hope that it (the signing of the agreement) will happen by the end of this year". Asked whether he and Chirac had discussed Croatia's admission to the World Trade Organisation, Mesic said this issue had not been resolved completely, but talks about it were leading to its resolution. "We have been told that we should not let it worry us and I believe it is heading in the right direction," Mesic said. Croatia was close to the completion of a procedure for its admission to the WTO when the process was blocked by France's insistence on a model of trade in audio-visual services, which was unacceptable to the United States. Croatia's bids for the EU, that is, France, to resolve this issue, which has been controversial for some time, in mutual negotiations and not to Croatia's detriment, have been unsuccessful so far. After the meeting with the French president, Mesic and members of Croatia's delegation left for the French parliament building, where they are to hold talks with the President of the National Assembly, Raymond Forni. (hina) jn rml.