CROATIA AND BOSNIA SIGN AGREEMENT ON PORT OF PLOCE

DUBROVNIK, Sept 3 (Hina) - Representatives of Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina on Thursday reached a basic agreement on the use of the Croatian port of Ploce and passage through the Bosnian town of Neum. The negotiations focused on the use of Ploce for Bosnian purposes, and free road access through Neum, which separates Croatia's southernmost Dubrovnik region from the rest of Croatia The delegations were headed by Croatian economy Minister Nenad Porges and Bosnian Minister for International Economic Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Mirsad Kurtovic. Attending the meeting were also US envoy Richard Sklar and deputy to the High International Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jacques Klein. Talks will continue in Sarajevo on Friday. Several contentious details remained unsolved; Porges said after the meeting in Dubrovnik. "We are leaving for Zagreb where we expect US negotiators to arrive on Saturday. Our basic principles are unquestionable. Such an agreement was reached in Zagreb and Sarajevo. However, there are several obstacles and there will probably be new consultations with Sarajevo to define the stances of the High representative's Office and Sklar," Porges said. Bosnia-Herzegovina Ambassador to Croatia, Hasan Muratovic, described Thursday's talks as successful. Basic agreements had been reached on all principles, and the text of the agreement will be sent to Zagreb and Sarajevo to be formulated by lawyers, he said. Klein said a framework and a good agreement had been reached to protect the interests and property of both sides, both Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is the key to solving the problem. We are opening the port of Ploce to traffic and investment, and Bosnia-Herzegovina is obtaining access to the sea, Klein said. 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. 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) lml jn 032156 MET sep 98