DEMIREL GIVES INTERVIEW TO CRO TELEVISION AHEAD OF TUDJMAN'S VISIT

ZAGREB, Feb 9 (Hina) - Turkey and Croatia have excellent political relations, which has been proven by the fact that the two countries have signed almost all bilateral agreements, except the one on free trade, Turkish President Suleyman Demirel said in an interview with Croatian Television (HRT) on Tuesday. Demirel gave this statement ahead of the third official visit of Croatian President Tudjman to Turkey and the seventh meeting between the leaders of the two states. Turkey supports Croatia in its efforts to join the Partnership for Peace programme, Demirel told HRT, adding that his country, as a NATO member, believed NATO should offer membership to all Central and East European countries which had been left out from the first round of expansion. Speaking about the Croatian-Turkish cooperation in establishing peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Demirel stressed peace would not have been possible had Croats and Bosniaks not been able to establish the Federation and had the Federation not agreed to cooperation with Croatia. In that context, Demirel congratulated Tudjman as "a really able leader, willing to cooperate". He expressed his country's full support for the integrity of a multiethnic Bosnia and a belief that Croatia and Turkey would continue cooperating and improving their relations. (hina) rml