GRANIC: INTERNATIONAL REPS INTERESTED MOST IN PRESIDENT'S HEALTH, ELECTIONS

ISTANBUL, Nov 18 (Hina) - The organisation of the upcoming parliamentary election and the application of all relevant European standards is extremely important for Croatia's credibility, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said in Istanbul on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at the end of the first day of a two-day summit of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is held in Istanbul, Granic summarised the results of a series of meetings the Croatian delegation today had with other participants. "The condition of President Tudjman and the implementation of a free and fair election are the priorities which international representatives were interest in most", Granic said. The Croatian foreign minister today met his Portuguese counterpart Jaime Gama, who will take over the six-month chairmanship of the European Union in January, as well as Britain's Robin Cook and Poland's Bronislaw Geremek. He also attended a four-hour meeting with his Slovene, Bosnian, and Macedonian counterparts on the succession to the former Yugoslavia. "The organisation of the elections is extremely important for Croatia's credibility and that issue stands above all other issues", said Granic. If the elections and their results are implemented in line with democratic standards, one can expect "next year to be the year of Croatia's European integration". According to Granic, although the Croatian Government has still not made a decision about the matter, an agreement will probably be reached on the technical extension of the mandate of the OSCE Mission in Croatia for another three months. (hina) rml