CRO SUPPORTS KOSOVO'S AUTONOMY BUT NOT INDEPENDENCE - OFFICIAL

ZAGREB, June 21 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's Committee for Foreign Affairs on Monday received a delegation of the Italian parliament's Committee for Foreign Affairs for talks on the situation in Kosovo and the region after the termination of NATO strikes against Yugoslavia. "Croatia does not support Kosovo's independence, because that would be contrary to the inviolability of borders, but strongly supports Kosovo's high autonomy, even though not in the degree this province once had in the (former Yugoslav federation)," Zarko Domljan, vice president of the Croatian parliament, said. He said Croatia also advocates a special status for Vojvodina, a region in north-eastern Yugoslavia. According to Achille Occhetto, chairman of the Italian parliament's committee, Italy believes Croatia and its view of Kosovo and a solution to the Kosovo crisis as significant. "Croatia can help us reach a solution to the problem, which is to save the Kosovo people. Italy would like Croatia to help understand whether the problems related to Kosovo have been solved or if new and bigger ones have been created," Occhetto said. Members of Croatia's committee assessed that international administration in Kosovo will be long-term, but added Croatia was willing to be of assistance. "The solution to the Kosovo crisis lies in some other categories, such as in building a democratic process in Serbia and in Kosovo. This will require negotiating parties capable of offering answers. Croatia is willing to help in this process," said Ante Vujic. He pointed to the necessity of ensuring regional security after a restored democratic process. Bozo Kovacevic said, "We assume the protectorate over Kosovo will be long, and believe the main task of the international forces will be to create conditions for the establishment of civil authority. The second task is the protection of human and minorities' rights. All this will depend on how fast and unbiased the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia will be." Speaking about the situation in the region, Domljan focused on the Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro, which he believes is a separate issue. "Montenegro will certainly take its own path, and Croatia will support this if it be the desire of the Montenegrin people. It is also clear that, in case this doesn't happen, the constitutional- legal relations between Montenegro and Serbia will have to be revised," he said. "A problem could occur if Montenegro will want to secede, because in that case Kosovo would have to stay within Serbia, and this is something Kosovo Albanians don't want at any price," Domljan said. The Italian delegation wondered whether the Kosovo problem would have a positive or negative effect on the situation in Bosnia- Herzegovina and the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement. Kovacevic said it depended on whether Milosevic will stay in power in Serbia. "Bosnia's experience with the implementation of the Dayton agreement is a good and positive one, and everything positive from Bosnia may serve as an example in Kosovo," he said. Domljan reiterated Croatia has supported NATO's actions since the beginning and that it continues to support the notion that the strike against Yugoslavia was a "war out of necessity." (hina) ha