CROATIAN MINISTER FOR EUROPEAN INTEGRATION VISITS SLOVENIA

( Editorial: --> 9292 ) LJUBLJANA, April 24 (Hina) - European Integration Minister Ljerka Mintas Hodak was in Ljubljana on Friday, where she met Slovenian Foreign Minister Boris Frlec, European Affairs Minister Igor Bavcar and Economy Minister Marjan Senjur. Talking to the press after the meeting, Mintas Hodak thanked her hosts for the support they had given Croatia in the Council of Europe and expressed hope that this support would continue. Mintas Hodak said that both sides had unofficially expressed a wish to resolve all pending issues. The Slovenian side expressed interest in plans for the construction of roads connecting Croatia to Europe via Slovenia. Slovenian Foreign Minister Boris Frlec said that Slovenia had so far been supportive of including Croatia into European integration processes, in the interests of regional stability. Asked by Serbian journalists to comment on the fact that Croatia's admission to European associations was made dependent on the return of Serbs, Mintas Hodak said that Croatia, of all the warring sides, had done the most to facilitate the return of refugees. Indeed, about 33,000 Serbs have so far returned to their homes in Croatia, she noted. However, Croatia is struggling with the logistics of creating suitable conditions for the return, a problem that should be solved with the help of the whole region. (Hina) as jfk /mb 241931 MET apr 98