CRO FOREIGN MINISTER ARRIVES IN EGYPT

CAIRO, July 4 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic on Sunday arrived in Cairo for a two-day official visit to Egypt aimed at inciting political and economic Croatian-Egyptian cooperation. Granic told reporters upon arriving Egypt is an economically significant and politically influential country, and that the aim of his visit was to advance political, economic, cultural, and scientific cooperation between Croatia and Egypt. "We believe this cooperation can be advanced significantly," the foreign minister said. On Monday, Granic is to hold talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Amro Mussa and Economy Minister Youssef Botrous Ghali. Asked whether the moderate, pro-western orientation of Egypt and Morocco, which Granic is also to visit, had motivated his visit, the foreign minister said, "Of course. Croatia maintains good relations with Turkey. We want to develop relations with all other influential and moderate Islamic countries, such as Egypt and Morocco." "Egypt is an influential country in the Arab world, and Morocco is also highly praised," he said. "We believe that at this moment, Egypt is a country we can be very interested in, both politically and economically," Granic added. Despite good political relations, trade between Croatia and Egypt in 1998 revolved around US$40 million. "Forty million dollars is by all means too little given the two countries' possibilities," the foreign minister said. "We believe it is possible to advance this cooperation." The Croatian foreign minister is accompanied by 14 Croatian businessmen, who ought to examine concrete possibilities of economic cooperation with Egypt. Last year, the Egyptian government gave Croatia's oil giant INA- Naftaplin a seven-year concession to search for and exploit oil and gas in the North-Eastern Desert. During Granic's stay, the two countries should sign an agreement on cultural and scientific cooperation. (hina) ha