TUDJMAN GIVES INTERVIEW TO INDEPENDENT GREEK DAILY

ZAGREB/ATHENS, Nov 23 (Hina) - There are no open questions between Croatia and Greece and relations between the two countries are "good, stable and constantly improving", Croatian President Franjo Tudjman said in an interview with Monday's issue of "Elefterotypia", an independent Greek daily. Croatia appreciates Greece's support for its efforts to get closer to Euro-Atlantic associations, the President said in the interview, published on the occasion of his three-day state visit to Greece. "I am convinced that my first state visit will contibute to futher development of our bilateral relations, and be an incentive for the still under-used potential for economic cooperation", Tudjman stressed. One of Croatia's priorities is its integration into Euro-Atlantic integration process, Tudjman noted adding that there was a prevailing opinion in Croatia that stricter criteria were being applied in its case. Croatia is being pressured into integration with the former Yugoslav states, which it finds unacceptable because it belongs to the central European political and cultural circle, Tudjman noted. Croatia's greatest achievement in the past eight years of its independence is the establishment of a democratic, independent and sovereign state under very difficult and complex conditions of disintegration of the totalitarian communist system and the multi- ethnic Yugoslav state. "With all these difficulties countries in transition had to face, we have managed to develop democratic institutions and secure economic development and the overal stability of the Croatian society and state". The tasks Croatia is still facing are a speedier development of democracy and an efficient protection of human rights. Other challenging issues are the privatisation process, unemployment and social justice, the President said. Describing the Croatian democratic system as satisfactory, Tudjman added that "there are still many problems regarding the exercise of human rights and democracy in general, which have to be resolved by constantly improving the functioning of the rule of law". The most sensitive and the most important question is the exercise of social rights, especially social justice, and the further development of multi-party democracy on the political level. Speaking about the success of economic transition, Tudjman stressed that the privatisation and transformation of former socially-owend companies was almost completed while preparations for the privatisation of public companies were underway. Pointing out the exceptional importance of implementing the Dayton and Washington peace agreements, the President said Croatia believed that the agreement on special relations with the BH Federation was very important because "it creates a framework for the establishment of meaningful and transparent relations with the Federation, which is a path leading towards the permanent solution of the Bosnian crisis". We expect that in their future talks on implementing the special relations agreement, representatives of the Federation and Croatia will spare no effort in strengthening the Federation as well as the Croatian-Bosniak relations, and in widening the scope of cooperation. As regards Croatia's relations with Serbia, Tudjman said he was satisfied with the normalisation process so far. Croatia remains open for futher development of bilateral relations, but before the relations are completely normalised, the issue of Croatia's southernmost peninsula of Prevlaka must be resolved, he added. Croatia is satisfied with the return of displaced people and refugees, a process which has cost US$2.5 billion so far, Tudjman said calling on the international community to show more understanding and support for reconstruction and development in Croatia. (hina) rml /sp