GRANIC: CROATIA MUST NOT GIVE ANY REASON FOR PRESSURE

( Editorial: --> 2236 ) ZAGREB, March 25 (Hina) - Croatia must give no one a reason to pressure it, but it also has to counter with arguments any inadequate pressure, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said in Zagreb on Wednesday. "We have to remove the causes and consequences of pressure with active policy and not give anyone a reason for pressure; on the other hand, we have to be very firm in our founded resistance to all forms of inadequate pressure which directly insult and do harm to the dignity of the state, that is, the person and institution of the President of the Republic," Granic said before the House of Representatives' Foreign Policy Committee. There was another form of pressure, the one caused by unrealistic expectations of the international community, Granic said. These were forms of pressure which were not proportionate to the importance of the problem and which therefore became counterproductive (such as some aspects of the return of refugees), as well as pressures which were being exerted without taking into consideration that there was a third side to the problem, for example, that the visa regime with Republika Srpska should be changed immediately, where it was being neglected that this was a problem concerning relations within Bosnia-Herzegovina, he said. Croatia faced four groups of requests, the Foreign Minister said. The first group referred to the Danube River region, the second to the Dayton commitments, the third to the return of refugees and the fourth to adopting conditions set at the time of Croatia's admission to the Council of Europe, primarily concerning electronic media, he said. The UN mandate in eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) was estimated as successful. Upon its completion, there was a short standstill in the security situation and implementation of state policy at the local level, Granic said, adding that the government had already adopted a set of concrete measures in connection with that. "The Government will soon adopt basic procedures of return," Granic said, presenting the data on the return of refugees. He said that 33,000 Croatian Serbs had returned, of whom 19,500 came from Yugoslavia and 12,500 from the Danube River region to other parts of Croatia. There were another 24,900 requests for return at the Croatian embassy in Belgrade, Granic said, adding that there were between 3,000 and 4,000 potential returnees from the Bosnian Serb entity. "Croatia firmly supports the fact that the Washington and Dayton agreements are the foundation of the survival of Bosnia- Herzegovina, and Croatia's policy in Bosnia-Herzegovina will have two equally important basic goals in implementing the Dayton (agreement): to regulate cooperation with Bosnia-Herzegovina and secure the survival of Croats in that country," Granic said. The Foreign Minister also spoke about President Franjo Tudjman's idea on demilitarisation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, saying that demilitarisation would prevent further incidents and guarantee the survival of all peoples in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Speaking about the strengthening of democratic structures, Granic said that the adjustment of laws to existing European standards had to continue. He welcomed the decision on appointing Ljerka Mintas-Hodak the new Minister for European Integration. Regarding freedom of the media, Granic said that the decision to invite bids for the allocation of a frequency for an independent fourth television channel was widely welcomed in the international community. "It is undoubted that all problems can be solved in dialogue with the international community," Granic said. The international community was clear in its wish and readiness for dialogue, Granic said, adding this was proved by last week's visits of the German, French and Russian Foreign Ministers, Klaus Kinkel, Hubert Vedrine and Yevgeny Primakov, to Zagreb, as well as by his meeting with the European Union Troika in London. Granic confirmed Croatia's position and identity as a central European and Mediterranean country with clear strategic aims - to enter the EU and NATO and to within a year open negotiations on a cooperation agreement with EU, as well as to enter the "Partnership for Peace" programme, the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Speaking about European institutions, Granic called on all those participating in public life to be realistic in assessing the speed of those processes. Croatia does not want to enter any formal South-East Balkan associations nor does it want to be an integral part of Dayton states, but it will continue its "policy of widening and strengthening good relations with all neighbouring states, as well as with all states and partners with whom it shares common interests", Granic added. (hina) jn rm /mb 251611 MET mar 98