CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH BURGENLAND CROATS

( Editorial: --> 6559 ) VIENNA, 22 Jan (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic, who is on an official visit to Austria, on Thursday also went to Burgenland, the Austrian region where the Croatian minority lives. During a meeting between Granic and the regional governor Karl Sticks, both sides expressed a joint pledge to preserve the cultural identity of Burgenland Croats. Until the end of its mandate the regional government of Burgenland will try and solve the question of bilingual names of places where Burgenland Croats live, Sticks said. Representatives of the Burgenland Croats informed Minister Granic about their problems, achieving minority rights in Austria, especially in regards to public usage of the Croatian language. They also spoke about difficulties in further financing the work of Croatian-Burgenland societies and their activities. (hina) jn mrb 222307 MET jan 98