CRO FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART

NEW YORK, Sept 26 (Hina) - Before leaving New York, where he headed a Croatian delegation attending the 52nd UN General assembly, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic on Friday held talks with his Russian counterpart Jevgenij Primakov. The talks focused on the course of the reintegration process of the Danube river region of eastern Croatia, and the situation in the Bosnian Federation. Granic said Russia welcomed further steps in the normalization of relations between Croatia and Yugoslavia. Granic's visit to New York and his numerous meetings, especially with foreign ministers of countries included in the reintegration of the Croatian Danube region and in the peace process in Bosnia-Herzegovina, showed that Croatia is unanimously expected to meet all undertaken commitments, both towards Croatian Serbs and to The Hague war criminal tribunal, in order for the reintegration process to be completed within the set deadline, and to improve Croatia's international position. "The strongest pressure was The Hague tribunal issue, especially on the part of Contact Group member-countries", the Croatian foreign minister said. The United States in particular insisted that Croatia should fulfil its commitments without delays and ensure the turnover of accused Bosnian Croats to The Hague. Speaking about the UNTAES mandate, Granic said a decision on its extension could be postponed for a month or so, unless Croatia complied with all commitments in a satisfactory way. A report by the UN transitional administrator for eastern Croatia on the course of reintegration is expected next week, while the Security Council could decide on the future of the mandate by November. "We believe a decision on the prolongation of the mandate will not be made", Granic said, pointing out that Croatia would not accept any extension. Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina were endangered, Granic stressed at his meetings in New York. Their number has been reduced by half, which endangered the multi-ethnic concept of Bosnia, he warned. (hina) ha 262349 MET sep 97