CROATIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES FIRST YUGOSLAV AMBASSADOR

ZAGREB, Sept 12 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Friday received the first Yugoslav ambassador to Croatia, Veljko Knezevic, who presented his credentials. Knezevic said that Croatia and Yugoslavia had "a joint historic task to build complex relations between Serbs and Croats on the principle of full equality, as two modern European nations which have great responsibility for their future and for a lasting and just peace on the overall territory of former Yugoslavia and for peace in this part of Europe." Knezevic relayed greetings from Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to President Tudjman. Tudjman expressed confidence that "the normalisation of relations between the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is not only in the interest of their peoples but also in the interest of + establishing a new international order in this region." Speaking of the crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Tudjman said that the nations in that country should find by themselves a solution to their relations and co-existence. (hina) vm mm 121709 MET sep 97