ZAGREB, Oct 22 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and +United States envoy for former Yugoslav territory Robert Gelbard on +Thursday held talks on the implementation of the Dayton peace +agreement and Croatian-American
relations.+ Also taking part in the talks were NATO Europe chief commander +General Wesley Clark, Croatian President's chief-of-staff Ivica +Kostovic, and Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic.+ "The President pointed out Croatia's strategic interest to +continue cooperation with the USA, especially in view of Croatia's +interest to continue with Euro-Atlantic integration", Kostovic +told reporters after the talks.+ "The Croatian side pointed out to Croatia's vital interest for +speedy and high-quality agreement on special relations with the +(Croat-Muslim) Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH), which is +significant both for the Croatian people and for BH", added +Kos
ZAGREB, Oct 22 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and
United States envoy for former Yugoslav territory Robert Gelbard on
Thursday held talks on the implementation of the Dayton peace
agreement and Croatian-American relations.
Also taking part in the talks were NATO Europe chief commander
General Wesley Clark, Croatian President's chief-of-staff Ivica
Kostovic, and Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic.
"The President pointed out Croatia's strategic interest to
continue cooperation with the USA, especially in view of Croatia's
interest to continue with Euro-Atlantic integration", Kostovic
told reporters after the talks.
"The Croatian side pointed out to Croatia's vital interest for
speedy and high-quality agreement on special relations with the
(Croat-Muslim) Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH), which is
significant both for the Croatian people and for BH", added
Kostovic.
Simultaneously with the special relations agreement, Croatia and
BH will be able to sign an agreement on BH's use of the southern
Croatian port of Ploce and Croatia's free passage through Neum,
BH's access to the Adriatic Sea cutting through southernmost
Croatia, he added.
Kostovic said the President and Gelbard also talked about concrete
issues in the implementation of the Dayton agreement, including
some military issues.
The U.S. envoy said his talks with President Tudjman focused on the
overall American-Croatian bilateral relations and the
implementation of the Dayton agreement.
We could say it was a very long meeting, said Gelbard.
In response to General Clark's demand for Croatian Defence Council
(HVO) general Stanko Sopta's dismissal from the HVO, the Croatian
President said Sopta had been relieved of duty in the HVO, and that
he would attend a war school in Zagreb as a general of the Croatian
army.
After the talks Gelbard departed for Banja Luka, BH, for a meeting
with Bosnian Serb representatives.
He said he would return to Zagreb on Friday to continue the talks
with Foreign Minister Granic and Defence Minister Pavao Miljavac,
as planned.
(hina) ha