PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL: CROATIA AGAINST BEING RELEGATED TO W. BALKANS

VARAZDIN, July 24 (Hina) - Croatia's deputy parliament speaker Zdravko Tomac said in Varazdin on Monday there had been no official talks nor initiatives thus far on changes in the government, and that all issues would be resolved in agreement among the six parties constituting the ruling coalition. He confirmed a meeting was held at parliament speaker Zlatko Tomcic's initiative, gathering, besides Tomac and Tomcic, President Stipe Mesic, Prime Minister Ivica Racan, and Croatian Social Liberal Party president Drazen Budisa. Tomac said the meeting addressed Croatia's foreign policy and preparations for a meeting of parliament speakers of all countries related to the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, which should be held in Zagreb this autumn. "We agreed about the foreign policy. Croatia wants to come as close as possible to Central Europe, and it is important to us that (Croatia) is not relegated to the Western Balkans, but to Central Europe," he said. Tomac added Croatia wanted the individual approach for itself and not to be a Balkans state. The issue of Yugoslavia, namely Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo, cannot be reduced to the Western Balkans alone, it is a much broader problem, he said. (hina) ha mm