SANADER MEETS FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY'S STATE SECRETARY

PARIS, 30 Oct (Hina) - Croatia's Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader, who is heading Croatia's delegation at the UNESCO General Assembly in Paris, on Thursday met with the French Foreign Ministry's State Secretary, Bertrand Dufourcq. The two officials discussed the process of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube river region and steps Croatia is making so that the process could develop successfully. The talks stressed the importance of the Croatian Government Program on the Establishment of Trust and tasks of the National Committee in charge of implementing the Program. Dufourcq expressed France's support for steps Croatia has made so far in the Croatian Danube river region, stressing the expectation that the U.N. mandate would be successful and completed on 15 January next year. Sanader informed his guests about Croatia's views concerning the situation in the wider region, particularly the peace process in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He stressed Croatia's determination to use the provisions in the Washington and Dayton agreements as starting points in its relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, and in particular, with the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The two sides concluded that the relations between Croatia and France were very good, which was established at the latest meeting between the Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and the French President Jacques Chirac in Strasbourg as well. Speaking about Croatia's integration into Euro-Atlantic associations, Dufourcq said Croatia could expect France's support in Croatia's getting nearer to the European Union. He stressed the past business cooperation between Croatia and France, an agreement on the purchase of Airbus planes and a whole set of projects in Croatia French companies are taking part in. Sanader, accompanied by Croatia's Ambassador in UNESCO Vesna Girardi-Jurkic, laid flowers in front of the memorial plaque bearing the name of the famous Croatian physicist and mathematician Josip Rudjer Boskovic. (hina) rm 301553 MET oct 97