ISRAEL TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH CROATIA SOON - 'HA'ARETZ'

JERUSALEM, July 5 (Hina) - Israel will decide very soon on establishing diplomatic relations with Croatia, an Israeli paper 'HA'ARETZ' has learned from top level officials in the Israeli Foreign Ministry. In Friday's issue, the paper wrote that a discussion was recently held regarding this matter in the ministry, participants of which were the director of the East Europe desk and heads of departments. The majority of the participants felt that the conditions for the diplomatic relations were ripe. According to sources which the paper quoted, the decision to establish diplomatic relations with Croatia does not require the government's approval, however, it could be that Foreign Minister David Levi will bring his decision in this matter to the government for approval. Israel has diplomatic relations with three out of five ex-Yugoslav Republic: Slovenia, Macedonia and (FR) Yugoslavia. Bosnia did not respond to Israel's suggestion to establish diplomatic relations. According to the paper, Israel refused to establish relations with Croatia after it declared its independence in 1990, on the ground that in a book written by Croatian President Franjo Tudjman alleged anti- Semitic expressions appeared and that (according to Israeli estimations) there was an attempt to minimise the number of victims of the holocaust and the involvement and cooperation of the Croat Fascists (ustashes) with the Nazis in the annihilation of 30,000 Croat Jews. According to sources quoted by the Israeli paper, the change in the Israeli ministry's position became possible now, after Tudjman corrected the English edition of his book and copies of the corrected edition were forwarded to Israeli President Ezer Weitzman and to foreign ministry officials. The same sources have said that Israel will also ask that the same corrections be made in the Croatian edition of Tudjman's book. Some ministry officials who participated in the above mentioned meeting fear that the Jews who immigrated from Serbia in Israel and who lobbied against Croatia during the war (in Croatia and Bosnia), may object to this decision. A deputy spokesman for the foreign ministry, Yigal Palmor, confirmed that the matter was discussed, but no decision or recommendation was made. Despite the fact that there are still no diplomatic ties between Croatia and Israel, commercial, cultural and tourism relations between the two countries have been expanded. In 1991, Israel voted for Croatia's acceptance to the UN. (hina) mš 052133 MET jul 97