GRANIC HOLDS TALKS WITH AUSTRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

( Editorial: --> 6438 ) VIENNA, 22 Jan (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic held talks with his Austrian counterpart Wolfgang Schuessel in Vienna on Thursday. The talks focused on the strengthening of cooperation and on peace and stability in this part of Europe, especially after the reintegration of the Croatian Danube River region. Speaking at a press conference after the talks, Schuessel said that Croatia had done everything it had been asked to do. Croatia has completed the peaceful reintegration, it cooperates with its neighbours in solving questions of mutual interest and it has started the return of refugees, which are great achievements, Schuessel said. It is now up to the European Union to start negotiations and sign a trade and cooperation agreement with Croatia - which is a long process, Schuessel said, adding Croatia would have Austria's strong and permanent support. Granic told reporters that the talks also tackled the situation in Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Croatia is ready for negotiations and the signing of agreements on the establishment of a council for cooperation with Bosnia- Herzegovina as well as for the signing of an agreement on special relations with the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and an agreement on the Croatian ports of Ploce and Neum. The agreement on Ploce and Neum is aimed at regulating the use of Ploce port by the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and unobstructed passage through the Federation territory via Neum. Speaking about the relations between Croatia and Austria, Granic said they were constantly improving. Today's talks included some concrete projects, Granic said, stressing a Croatian-Slovene-Austrian meeting, to be held in Dubrovnik on 26 January this year. The meeting will focus exclusively on trilateral topics, ranging from the construction of motorways to cooperation in the area of interior affairs, economy and tourism. Asked about the return of refugees and displaced people, Granic said Croatia would need financial assistance of the international community in reconstructing the Danubian region. This topic will be discussed at a donors' conference Croatia is to organise in several months time with representatives of the EU, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Croatia's Foreign Minister said. After meeting Schuessel, Granic visited Zeljezno, a town where members of the Croatian minority, called Burgenland Croats, live. (hina) rm 221615 MET jan 98