CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FLIES TO BRUSSELS

ZAGREB, April 22 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic on Thursday flew to Brussels to sign a memorandum on understanding with the Western European Union (WEU). After that he is to travel to Washington to attend the NATO summit. On behalf of Croatia, Granic will sign the memorandum on understanding with the WEU in Brussels. The most important part of cooperation between the WEU and Zagreb, which is to be ensured by the memorandum, will refer to the assistance of this military organisation in clearing Croatian territory of mines. Minister Granic will leave Brussels for Washington, at an invitation of the State Department. Croatian Foreign Minister along with officials of other seven countries in the neighbourhood to Yugoslavia will take part in the NATO summit within talks on the Kosovo crisis. In Washington, heads of state of 19 NATO and 25 Partnership for Peace Programme member-countries will gather from 23 to 25 April. The U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has called foreign ministers of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to come at the meeting and participate in the talks on the Kosovo crisis, although the two are not members either of NATO or Partnership for Peace Programme. Albright will give a working dinner for officials of the eight countries in the neighbourhood to Yugoslavia - Albania, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania and Slovenia. Minister Granic will also take part in a symposium on the crisis in the south-east of Europe which will be held as a part of the summit. Croatia is expecting that its participation in the NATO summit will strengthen its position and accelerate its approach to the Western Alliance. (hina) ms