CROATIA & BH FEDERATION CONTINUE TALKS ON SPECIAL RELATIONS

( Editorial: --> 3974 ) ZAGREB, April 1 (Hina) - Negotiations between delegations of Croatia and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina about the Agreement on the Special Relations with the Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina continued on Wednesday in Zagreb. Their joint statement says that following a thorough and constructive debate, crucial progress was made on the allocation of areas for cooperation between Croatia and the B-H Federation, and on contents of the Agreement. At the start of the year, Foreign Ministers of Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina Mate Granic and Jadranko Prlic respectively, at a meeting in Zagreb, said that the agreement would include conditions for the use of the Croatian port of Ploce for the needs of the B-H Federation, conditions for unobstructed passage on the Croatia's Adriatic Highway through the territory of Neum which belongs to the Federation, and establishment of a consortium for the building of the Zagreb-Dubrovnik motorway through Bosnia-Herzegovina. At Wednesday's meeting the Croatian delegation was led by Franjo Greguric, the Croatian President's special envoy for relations with the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bosnia-Herzegovina, while the delegation of the B-H Federation was led by Kasim Trnka. The next meeting of the two delegations will be held in Sarajevo. (hina) jn mrb/jfk 011734 MET apr 98