CROATIAN DAYS IN BAVARIA TO BEGIN ON SATURDAY

MUNICH, Jan 16 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic is to open the traditional event "Croatian Days in Bavaria" at a Croatian-Bavarian Ball on Saturday evening. Upon his arrival in Munich on Friday, Granic held talks with Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber. Granic and Stoiber described the Bavarian-Croatian relations as very stable. Stoiber said Bavaria was willing to invest into the Croatian economy as well as to help Croatia in its bid to join the Euro- Atlantic associations as soon as possible. On Friday evening, Granic delivered a lecture called "Croatia on the path toward Euro-Atlantic Integration" at the Peutinger Collegium where most prominent Bavarian politicians, businessmen and culture figures gather. At the lecture, which had a high attendance, Croatian Foreign Minister said the gradual but complete integration of Croatia into the Euro-Atlantic associations was and remains to be the main goal of the Croatian foreign policy and its international strategy. He added that Croatia, like all Central and Eastern European countries in transition, was following the path fraught with difficulties, but Croatia's path was even more difficult as it had to reconstruct houses, help people to return to their homes and create conditions for a new life. Croatia had had to start off with problems caused by the aggression launched against it, Granic stressed adding that his country enjoyed no privilege on the road toward the Euro-Atlantic integration processes. Neither did Croatia ask for it, but we would be content if we could be on an equal footing with other candidates that were queueing up to become European Union member-states, he said. (hina) ms