CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GIVES INTERVIEW WITH 'VJESNIK'

ZAGREB, June 4 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic, has given an interview with Zagreb's daily 'Vjesnik'. The following are excerpts from the interview published on Wednesday: A meeting between (Croatia's) President Tudjman and Bosnia- Herzegovina's Presidency president Alija Izetbegovic would be held "certainly in June". Concerning the UNTAES mandate in the Danube river area, agreement would be reached with Zagreb, but the only open question was whether after July 15, either UN Transitional Administrator Klein or elected authorities would have "greater weight" Granic said in the interview. He added that in connection with the UNTAES mandate in the Danube river area the crucial issue did not refer to the stay or departure of the military component, as it was clear that "all would like to go away, even Belgians." Commenting on a recent Croatian-American dialogue and relations between the two countries Granic said that "stands have come closer" and that the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Albright and the talks with President Tudjman were "useful for the further promotion of ties between the two countries." (…) Granic said that "for a while the process will be observed", and expressed his confidence that this period of observation would result in the ascending line in relations with the United States. (…) Being the chief world power the United States had its own interests in this region, Granic evaluated and added that it did not mean that relations between Zagreb and Washington would be "without any problems." However, Croatia and the United States remained to be strategic partners, as the United States needed the democratic and stable Croatia "as a strong lever to solve, so to speak, all issues in the region." In his long interview to Vjesnik's editor-in-chief, the Croatian Foreign Minister spoke extensively of the global foreign policy of the United States, and said that Bosnia and a wider region had "a high priority" in this sense. The United States might want to pull out its soldiers out of Bosnia, but, at the same time, it would like to implement fully the Dayton accords by "intense pressure", and Washington had shown that it wanted to "have both strong political and economic presence" in the region including the southeast of Europe. Asked who mostly hindered the Dayton agreement, Granic replied that from the one side those were certainly Moslems who could hardly accept the Dayton formula of Bosnia (as one state of two entities and three constituent peoples) and Serbs "who have never mentally accepted the Dayton agreement, as it was virtually imposed on them." In this context, Granic said that Americans had only two objections with the Croat party in Bosnia - the one referring to the arrest of war crimes suspects and the other to establishment of joint police in Mostar-Neretva Canton. He added that Americans had been, in particular, pleased with Zubak, Tomic and Prlic, as they were playing "an exceptionally positive role," and therefore they (Americans) had no complaint about the "overall leadership of Croats in Bosnia." Granic described as American "principled view" the demand for the return of all Serbs including those who were in Bosnia and the FR Yugoslavia. In connection with this issue, Granic said that according to the current data (including those in Belgrade), from ten to fifteen thousand Serb refugees did not want to come back. It was known that in the Danube river area there were about five thousand registered Serbs who would like to return to other Croatian parts, and Croatia would ensure this as well as all security mechanisms. In this regard Granic recalled the latest speech by President Tudjman in Beli Manastir, and the minister held that it was the best response to such demands as well as the guarantee that Croatia seriously intended to protect rights of all its citizens. These measures must be taken "because of us, and not because of others," Granic said and added that negotiations with Belgrade were under way on individual returns of a part of Serbs in the FR Yugoslavia. It should be stressed that Croatia had to take into account that the return was not only a legal, but also a security, economic and political issue, which meant that those people had to be guaranteed full security when they returned. Or in other words, the full control over the situation on the ground had to be established, and the Croatian Government was working intensively on it, he added. The state prosecutor's office had instigated procedures against persons who provoked incidents tarnishing the reputation of the Republic of Croatia, Granic said. Commenting on relations between Serbia and Croatia, Granic stressed that at the moment, within the large-scale negotiating package, border crossings, rail traffic resumption and a social issues agreement were the most important for Croatia, whereas Belgrade was mostly interested in local border trade and a law on international legal aid, besides some of the mentioned issues. In connection with Bosnia, the Croatian Foreign Minister said that his country would continue supporting actively the Washington and Dayton agreements, but "success will depend not only on Croatia but also on other parties and circumstances, and in this respect it is important for us that Croatia do everything so that nobody could blame it for Dayton's failure," Granic said at the end of the interview. (hina) jn mš 041222 MET jun 97