CRO FOREIGN MINISTER CONTINUES BILATERAL TALKS IN OSLO

OSLO, Dec 2 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic on Wednesday held bilateral talks with representatives of the Vatican, Ireland, Italy, and Norway. The talks were held as part of a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Council of Ministers, which opened in Oslo today. Granic and the Vatican's secretary for foreign relations, Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, confirmed the two countries enjoyed very good relations, which were further fortified by the Pope's October visit to Croatia. The talks with Tauran also tackled the situation in Bosnia and the wider region, Croatia's aspiration towards Euro-Atlantic integration, an upcoming international donors' conference on the reconstruction and development of Croatia, and OSCE's role in the future. "The meeting with Irish Foreign Minister David Andrews was the continuation of political dialogue with a friendly country," Granic told reporters. Talks with Andrews also tackled strengthening economic cooperation, and revoking the visa system for Croatian citizens visiting Ireland, he added. Granic also discussed visa revocation for Croatian citizens with Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek. Norway introduced visas for Croatians this year due to the increase in the number of Serbs from eastern Croatia arriving in Norway in the search for refugee status and asylum. Norway promised it would discuss the matter. Granic said the talks with his Norwegian counterpart also tackled the situation in the south Yugoslav province of Kosovo and the possibility of Yugoslavia's membership in the OSCE. "Croatia's stand, which we will firmly advocate, is that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia must undergo the same procedure to join the OSCE as all the other countries created after the break-up of the former Yugoslav federation." "For us, Norway is also very important as future OSCE presiding country, because we expect that in 1999 the OSCE will conclude its mission in Croatia," he added. Granic's talks with Italian Foreign Minister Umberto Ranieri, among else, tackled the Croatian President's visit to Rome. (hina) ha mm