GERMANY REGARDS CROATIA AS FACTOR OF STABILITY-GRANIC

PFORZHEIM, March 21 (Hina) - Germany regarded Croatia as a factor of stability in the region and as a safe country for investment, so it would continue to support Croatia's further integration into European institutions, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said on Friday evening after talks with his German counterpart Klaus Kinkel, in Bonn and Pforzheim. Germany accepted Croatia as a country outside the circle of instability in the southeast of Europe. It firmly backed normalisation of relations between Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, because it wanted Croatia as a central European country to be included into central European and EuroAtlantic integration processes as soon as possible, Minister Granic said. Germany was expecting from Croatia that the process of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area would finish by July 15, along with full respect of human and minority rights of the Serb minority in the area. It also expected the continuation of Croatia's support to the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, he added. Kinkel particularly supported Croatia's efforts aimed at settling the situation in Mostar. The Kinkel-Granic talks also revolved around the economic cooperation between the Germany and Croatia, the beginning of Audi company's business in Croatia, road construction, German credits for small and medium-sized Croatia firms and other economic projects. Ministers Kinkel and Granic, on Friday afternoon arrived from Bonn in the city of Pforzheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, where they visited the Witzenmann firm and where many Croatians are employed. They were welcomed by Mayor Joachim Becker, and then they toured the editorial offices of a local newspaper, 'Pforzheimer Zeitung'. Pforzheim and the eastern Croatian town of Osijek are twinned towns, and the German city helped Osijek much during the Serbian aggression and accepted a considerable number of Croatian refugees. On Friday night, Minister Granic will attend the birthday party in Bonn, which a former German Foreign Minister and friend of Croatia, Hans Dietrich Genscher, is giving on occasion of his 70th birthday. On Friday morning, Granic was present at a reception in Bonn, which German Chancellor Helmut Kohl had held in honour of Genscher's birthday. "Credit has been given to Croatia by an invitation for me to be present at a reception which the complete political leadership and other German public figures along with 85 guests from abroad including many Foreign Minister who were active in the Genscher era, attended as well," Granic said adding that it also reflected friendly relations between Germany and Croatia as well as Genscher's links with Croatia. Croatian Foreign Minister will wind up his two-day visit to Germany on Friday night. (hina) jn mš 212207 MET mar 97