NEGOTIATIONS ON PLOCE & NEUM RESUME TOMORROW - SAYS PORGES

( Editorial: --> 7592 ) ZAGREB, Sept 2 (Hina) - Delegations of Croatia and Bosnia will resume negotiations on the port of Ploce and passage through Neum in Dubrovnik on Thursday, Croatian Economy Minister Nenad Porges told Hina on Wednesday. The negotiations in the southern Croatian port will be conducted with US attendance and will focus on preparations for an agreement on the use of the southern Croatian port of Ploce for Bosnian purposes, and on free road access through the Bosnian port of Neum, which separates Croatia's southern-most Dubrovnik region from the rest of Croatia. According to Porges, the delegations will discuss Croatia's and Bosnia's starting points, and four groups of issues, including free passage through Neum, free passage to Ploce, the use of Ploce and a free zone in the port. The commercial aspect must be dominant in the use of Ploce, Porges emphasised. He pointed out that Croatia's priority were special relations between Croatia and the Croat-Muslim Federation of Bosnia- Herzegovina, which are based on the Washington and Dayton peace agreements and are the starting point for all other agreements. The Dubrovnik talks will however not touch upon the said special relations, Porges stressed. Tomorrow's talks are an attempt to bring closer standpoints concerning the mentioned groups of issues and to find a dynamic for completing their resolution but, Porges said, on condition a special relations agreement was previously signed. The resumption of the Ploce and Neum negotiations was initiated by last year's meeting in Split between Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and Bosnian Presidency chairman Alija Izetbegovic, the Economy Minister told Hina. Porges also recalled that during Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic's latest visit to the US, the American side appointed Ambassador Richard Sklar as new envoy for the issues in question. Sklar, who already met with Porges in Dubrovnik on August 11, will take part in tomorrow's talks. The Croatian delegation will include Croatian Ambassador to Bosnia Darinko Bago and the Economy Minister's assistant for free zones Zdravko Frleta. The Bosnian delegation will include the Minister for International Cooperation and Trade Mirsad Kurtovic, Bosnian Ambassador to Croatia Hasan Muratovic, and Deputy Minister for Civil Affairs and Communications Milan Krizanovic. The official delegations will, according to Porges, be assisted by international law experts who will however not take direct part in the talks. Croatia will be represented by Assistant Foreign Minister Josip Paro and experts of the Economy Ministry's Administration for International Economic Cooperation. Kasim Trnka and Nedeljko Despotovic will represent Bosnia. Croatia and Bosnia have been negotiating on Ploce and Neum after the Washington agreements were signed in 1994. Documents adjusted at that time included an agreement on passage through Neum Municipality and an agreement guaranteeing sea access through Ploce for the Croat-Muslim Federation. These agreements were signed in a package also including an agreement on confederate links between the Federation and Croatia. The latter was however brought into question after the Dayton peace agreement was signed. Last year Croatia put forward a draft agreement on special relations with the Bosnian Federation which the Croatian government believes is the framework for a future agreement on Ploce. The United States entered the negotiations last year, when its representative suggested that a free zone in Ploce be organised in line with Federation laws. Croatia however rejected the US proposal, pointing out to the inviolability of Croatian sovereignty. The US proposal was also rejected by the local community, as well as by Ploce harbour unions. Until a final agreement is reached, the Federation will be using Ploce in line with a temporary agreement signed in Zagreb in May 1996. (hina) ha jn 021946 MET sep 98