CROATIA'S FOREIGN POLICY STRONGLY DEFENDS STATE INTERESTS - MINISTRY

( Editorial: --> 3905 ) ZAGREB, 12 Jan (Hina) - The Croatian Foreign Ministry on Monday issued a statement concerning the views of the President of the Croatian Pure Party of Rights (HCSP) and parliamentary representative Ivan Gabelica presented at a press conference on Saturday. Speaking at the press conference, Gabelica accused Croatian state authorities of "failing to defend Croatian interests in an appropriate way" and called on Foreign Minister Mate Granic to resign. Abiding by basic democratic principles, the Foreign Ministry and Minister Granic personally accept discussion on all questions concerning Croatia's foreign policy, the Foreign Ministry statement said. We believe to have proven this with our work and appearances in public thus far, and especially with the public openness of our work and frequent discussions in the Croatian National Parliament, the statement said. International officials and politicians have described the mission of the U.N. Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES), which will end on 15 January, as one of the most successful peace missions in the history of the United Nations, the statement said. The success of the mission is the exact result of the constructive policy of the Croatian state leadership and its foreign policy as a constituent part, the statement said, recalling that Mr Gabelica and the party he was leading had been against such a policy. The statement also concerns the southern Croatian peninsula of Prevlaka, which borders with Montenegro. Article 4 of the Agreement on the Normalisation of Relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia explicitly states that the issue of Prevlaka is a security question which will be solved through bilateral negotiations. Regulations of all Security Council resolutions and U.N. documents have confirmed that commitment, the statement said. The status of Prevlaka is only a security matter for Croatia. Despite all this, in its current diplomatic activities, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia believes that the question of Prevlaka is a territorial dispute as well, the statement said. The Croatian foreign policy, whose strategic aims were agreed upon through a consensus among all parties at a session of the Presidential Council in May 1996, strongly and uncompromisingly defends Croatian state interests, especially when it comes to sovereignty, whether it be in the Croatian Danube river region, Prevlaka, Piran bay or Ploce port, the statement said. The success of that policy, as well as of the constructiveness of proposals by other political factors, will be judged by the Croatian public. Not disputing the right of every Croatian citizen, especially a parliamentary representative, to present views concerning all open questions of Croatia's foreign policy, we believe that it is clear from all we have said that the foreign policy, as defined by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and implemented by the Government and Minister Granic, has chosen a path different than the one represented by Mr Gabelica, the statement said. (hina) mm rm 121942 MET jan 98