CROATIAN PRIME MINISTER SATISFIED WITH VISIT TO ROMANIA

( Editorial: --> 4180 ) BUCHAREST, Sept 30 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa says even though yesterday's one-day visit to Romania was short, it was very successful because a series of projects of mutual interests were examined. The talks in Romania focused on the transport sector, mutual investments, the participation of Croatian firms in directly investing in Romanian privatisation and the engagement of Romanian companies in business activities both in Croatia and with Croatian partners in other countries. Discussions with the Romanian Prime Minister and with the presidents of both houses of parliament went extremely well, Matesa told reporters on Tuesday at the end of the visit. Romanian President Emil Constantinescu had accepted Croatian President Franjo Tudjman's invitation to visit Croatia. "It is my pleasure to announce that we can expect the visit in the near future," Matesa noted. Economy Minister Nenad Porges, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Zdravko Dominikovic and Transport and Communications Minister Zeljko Luzavec were also a part of the Croatian delegation. The ministers and the rest of the delegation, which included 100 leading Croatian business people who had talks with their Romanian colleagues, carried out "dynamic talks on improving and fast- tracking the economic development" of bilateral relations. "We have agreed that there is a mutual interest for negotiations on a free trade agreement, which will be one of the priority tasks of a joint commission and a group of experts that will meet before the end of this year," Matesa announced. During its stay in Bucharest the Croatian delegation met representatives of the Croatian minority in Romania. Matesa expressed his satisfaction about the "methods and civilised standards" used by Romania in its relations towards the Croats there. The Croatian Prime Minister said that Croatia fully supported plans for oil from the Caspian Sea to be transported through Croatia to Trieste, Italy. Romanian Prime Minister Radu Vasile told reporters that during final talks between the two delegations, proposals for the development of political and economic relations had been elevated. Vasile said that this process would "have its continuity" in a meeting of the foreign ministers of both countries which would take place on November 11, and then followed by another meeting of both prime ministers on November 21. This latter meeting will be a part of the Central European Initiative summit in Zagreb. A joint commission will also meet to set the basic context of various areas and will suggest solutions. (hina) it/mbr 301316 MET sep 98