PRESIDENT TUDJMAN HOSTS RECEPTION FOR DIPLOMATIC CORPS

( Editorial: --> 4424 ) ZAGREB, Jan 14 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and his wife Ankica on Wednesday hosted a New Year reception for members of the Diplomatic corps accredited in Croatia, representatives of international organisations and foreign military attaches. Addressing President Tudjman on behalf of the Diplomatic corps, papal nuncio Msgr. Giulio Einaudi stressed that today's meeting was marked by "deep friendship...that commits us to work in the interest of peace for our peoples". The year 1997 was rich with events, Msgr. Einaudi said, recalling that President Tudjman had again won the trust of the Croatian people in the June elections. "In the past year we followed Croatia on its long and painstaking journey towards complete territorial integrity with the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube River region, appreciating the constructive role of the Croatian government, as well as its full cooperation with the U.N., with all guarantees given to the population to the advantage of the process of return, reconciliation and establishment of normal life in this suffering region" said the doyen of the Diplomatic corps. As countries friendly to the Republic of Croatia, we feel strongly united in this complex task of creating a peaceful coexistence, Msgr. Einaudi said. For 1998, he wished Croatia prosperity and happiness for all its citizens, as well as openness toward the world. Thanking for the congratulations and good wishes on behalf of his wife and associates, Tudjman stressed that the past year had been successful for Croatia on the domestic and international scene. "We consider our greatest success the completion of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area into the constitutional and legal system of the Republic of Croatia which was completed thanks to the cooperation of the Croatian authority with the UNTAES, headed by General Klein in the beginning, and now by Ambassador Walker, as well as with the local Serb population," Tudjman stressed. However, by officially completing the UNTAES mandate on Thursday, 15 January, and taking over control of the area, not all problems are solved, Tudjman said. Over 70,000 Croatian displaced persons were waiting to return to the Danube river region, where destroyed homes or homes occupied by Serbs from other areas awaited them. It would, thus, be necessary to materially, and especially morally and psychologically overcome everything the past several years had left behind, so Croatia would need the help of the international community to reconstruct ravaged areas and family homes, Tudjman said. President Tudjman told the Diplomatic corps they could rest assured that Croatian authorities would continue the policy which helped the completion of the peaceful reintegration of the Danube River region, so that all conditions for coexistence, mutual trust and normalisation of all life in the region could be realised as soon as possible. "With the New Year begins a new period in the establishment of an independent and democratic Croatia. With the establishment of complete sovereignty on its whole internationally recognised territory, Croatia can now focus on its domestic democratic, economic and cultural development. We will have more opportunity to resolve problems of interior economic and social reconstruction, but we also count on the cooperation of international factors and countries which you represent," Tudjman said. He added that Croatia would have a constructive role in international relations in solving problems with Yugoslavia, solving open questions with Slovenia and implementing the Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The New Year reception was also attended by Parliament Speaker Vlatko Pavletic, Premier Zlatko Matesa and other high state officials. (hina) lm jn 141722 MET jan 98