MILITARY DEAL WITH ITALY HELPS CROATIA TO COME CLOSER TO NATO- RADOS

ZAGREB, May 19 (Hina) - An agreement on the military cooperation Croatia and Italy signed in Ancona on Friday, strengthens Croatia's position in the Partnership for Peace programme and helps accelerate Croatia's approach to NATO, Croatian Defence Minister Jozo Rados said in Zagreb.#L" The document, signed by Rados and his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella, stipulates the cooperation in defence, training and education as well as in the manufacturing of materials for the defence and in organisation of joint military exercises. The agreement is the confirmation and fruit of the improvement of already good relations between Croatia and Italy at all levels, including the military one," Rados told reporters. The minister explained that this was a framework agreement to which bilateral treaties would be added each year and special commission would carry out them. "Thanks to this agreement the military cooperation between Croatia and Italy will no longer depend on changeable inter-state relations in some periods, but this is about the guaranteed cooperation, harmonised between countries that have a continued high level of ties," Rados added. (hina) mm ms