CENTRAL EUROPEAN INITIATIVE CONFERENCE IN SARAJEVO ENDS

SARAJEVO, June 7 (Hina) - A two-day ministerial conference of the Central European Initiative (CEI) member-countries ended in Sarajevo on Saturday with the adoption of a final document. The Croatian delegation at the conference was headed by Foreign Minister Mate Granic. The final document points out the support of CEI member-countries to the implementation of the Dayton accords, and expresses readiness for further assistance in the reconstruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina, but Croatia as well. The ministers pointed out the readiness of their countries to ensure support through CEI and other organizations in the reconstruction of the Croatian Danube region. The diplomacy chiefs of 16 European countries agreed on the necessity of further economic and political cooperation, and supported the expansion of the European Union and NATO on the European continent. However, the final document points out that such processes should not cause new obstacles to cooperation in Europe. Recalling that Croatia would chair CEI next year, Foreign Minister Granic said CEI represented a good preparation for other European integration processes. Cooperation among CEI's 16 member-countries was of exceptional economic and political importance, he stressed. Croatia was satisfied with the final document's contents and the commitment to strengthen security and cooperation throughout the European continent, Granic pointed out. During his two-day stay in Sarajevo, Croatia's Foreign Minister held bilateral meetings with his Austrian and Macedonian counterparts, Wolfgang Schuessel and Blagoje Hadzinski, and Italian and Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Ministers, Piero Fassino and Stefan Tafrov. All talks focused on the strengthening of Croatia's cooperation with the respective countries. (hina) ha 071501 MET jun 97