GRANIC OPENS SYMPOSIUM ON REPUBLIC OF DUBROVNIK'S DIPLOMACY

DUBROVNIK, Sept 3 (Hina) - "The Diplomacy of the Republic of Dubrovnik", an international symposium organized by the Croatian Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy in cooperation with the University of Zagreb, opened in the south Croatian port of Dubrovnik on Wednesday. Under the patronage of Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, the symposium lasts until 5 September and gathers about 100 renowned scientists and diplomats from eight countries. Their speeches will be published in a special issue of the Diplomatic Academy Codex. As the academy's manager Svjetlan Berkovic pointed out, the aim of the symposium was to acquaint the Croatian and world public with the rich heritage of Dubrovnik's diplomacy from the 13th to the 19th century. The symposium was opened by Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic who, among else, said that Croatia's contemporary diplomacy could with pride continue where the Dubrovnik diplomacy left off. Speaking about the development of Croatia's diplomacy since the democratic changes of 1991, Granic pointed out that Croatia's diplomacy entered its mature stage by rounding up the network of diplomatic and consular missions. The maturity of this stage, said the foreign minister, was corroborated by successful negotiations with Yugoslavia, which signified not only the end of the war, but also that Croatia was becoming a significant factor of stability and peace in this region. Speaking about present-day Croatian diplomacy, Granic said Croatia was trying to access wider Euro-Atlantic integrations aimed at a final solution to the crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Accompanying the three-day symposium is an exhibition also called "The Diplomacy of the Republic of Dubrovnik". (hina) ha mm 031201 MET sep 97