MINI AGREEMENT ON SUCCESSION COULD BE SIGNED MID-YEAR

( Editorial: --> 8659 ) ZAGREB, April 22 (Hina) - Croatia has accepted a "mini agreement" on the succession to the former Yugoslavia which was proposed at the start of this week in Zagreb by the European Union high commissioner for succession issues, Sir Arthur Watts. The agreement, which would be a integral part of the overall agreement on succession of property of the former Yugoslavia, has already been accepted by Slovenia and Macedonia, said a statement from the head of the Government Office for the Succession Project, Bozo Marendic, in Zagreb on Wednesday. The agreement which Sir Arthur Watts suggested, on the principle of "take it or leave it", regulates the distribution of archival documents and a small part of ambassadorial responsibilities relating to acquired rights and issues on citizenship. Marendic believes that the agreement could be signed mid-year if it is accepted by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Bosnia- Herzegovina. The Yugoslav Government decided this month to enable countries on the territory of the former Yugoslavia and their researchers to view and use archival documents in the Yugoslavia Archives, up to 31 December 1990. Assistant Director of the Croatian State Archives, Miljenko Pandzic, told Hina that four successor countries (Bosnia- Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia) are requesting free viewing of documents in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's records office up to and after 1 June 1991 to further establish the future of state property, debts and archives so that succession could be thoroughly estimated and implemented. (hina) jn mrb/lm 221838 MET apr 98