CROATIA AND USA HAVE DIFFERENT APPROACHES BUT SAME GOALS - GRANIC

( Editorial: --> 7908 ) ZAGREB, Sept 3 (Hina) - Croatia and the United States only have different approaches but they share the same strategic goals as regards the peace implementation process in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia's role in that process, Foreign Minister Mate Granic said Thursday. "Even if there are certain differences in our approaches....., there are no differences in the basic strategic goals," Granic told students at the Croatian diplomatic academy in Zagreb. "We will be solving those differences in permanent dialogue with the United States," he added. In his speech, Granic tried to lessen the gravity of disagreement between Croatia and the USA concerning Croatia's special relations with Bosnian Croats and the state of democracy. "I can say that the United States and Croatia have the same strategic goals both when it comes to the full implementation of the Washington and Dayton agreements and Croatia's position and role in the process," Granic said commenting on the talks between President Franjo Tudjman and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in Zagreb last weekend. The two sides have already agreed to discuss ways to overcome certain differences, which, Granic said, "do exist when it comes to their approaches but definitely not when it comes to the final goals," Granic said. Croatia, its leadership and President Tudjman are determined to implement the policy of peace and stability in the region. Croatia still sees its place in European and Euro-Atlantic associations, Granic said. "No one will stop us on that road," he added. Croatia and the United States will soon form a commission which is to determine the plan of Croatia's admission to the NATO's Partnership for Peace programme, as a proof that their differences are not such as not to be overcome, Granic told reporters. Following his talks with US Secretary of State Albright, President Tudjman declined to comment on whether Croatia would become a Partnership for Peace member by the end of this year, which was interpreted as a possible sign that differences between the two states have jeopardised the support the USA has promised to Croatia. The US support is of key importance for Croatia's wish to enter the programme. The United States and international community have recently introduced a set of new decisions, increasing pressure on Croatia to sever its close ties with Bosnian Croats. The US Secretary of State on Sunday requested that Croatia practically sever its special relations with the Bosnian Croat community and carry out political reforms as well as allow media freedom. President Tudjman rejected those requests saying Croatia had a constitutional obligation to care for Bosnian Croats as well as to take care of its strategic interests in Bosnia-Herzegovina for the sake of protecting its southern regions. Tudjman also rejected estimations that the Croatian system and authority are authoritarian, adding that in assessing Croatia's democracy one should take into account concrete circumstances of its development. In this regard, Tudjman warned about attempts at "silent revision" of the Dayton peace agreement which envisages special relations between Croatia and the Croat-Muslim Federation, just as the Washington agreements envisages confederal relations between Croatia and the Federation. Attempts at revision of those agreements are unacceptable both for Bosnian Croats and Croatia, Tudjman said calling for the consistent implementation of the Washington and Dayton agreements as the only way to solve the Bosnian crisis. The former US Defence Secretary William Perry and US Ambassador to Croatia William Montgomery on Wednesday requested the Croatian Defence Minister Andrija Hebrang to gradually cease the payment of salaries to Croatian Defence Councils (HVO) members and see that Croatia's financial support to Bosnian Croats is completely transparent. The international community requested Croatia to gradually cease its financial support for Bosnian Croats back in June, at a meeting of the administrative committee of the council for peace implementation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, held in Luxembourg. (hina) jn rml 032006 MET sep 98