CROATIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION LEAVES ITALY

( Editorial: --> 4553 ) ZAGREB, April 3 (Hina) - A Croatian National Parliament delegation headed by Speaker Vlatko Pavletic returned to Croatia on Friday following a visit to Italy. The delegation had discussions with Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro and Italian Parliament Speaker Luciano Violante in Rome as well as Pope John Paul II and the Holy See's Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano in the Vatican. "We convinced our hosts that we need their support on our path towards Euro-Atlantic integration, but also in order to reduce pressures on Croatia," Pavletic said at Zagreb Airport. "Scalfaro and Violante promised that in this regard they would do what they could, supporting our arguments that the deadlines given to Croatia were unrealistic." Discussing his meeting with John Paul II, Pavletic said talks in the Vatican were "longer than expected but the Pope showed interest in specific problems in Croatia". The Speaker added that Violante accepted an invitation to visit Croatia this year. (Hina) jn mb /as 032204 MET apr 98