CROATIA SUPPORTS DEVELOPMENT OF OSCE'S ROLE - GRANIC

( Editorial: --> 9330 ) COPENHAGEN, 18 Dec (Hina) - Croatia believes that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should be given a more important role in the new security structure in Europe, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said at the OSCE's ministerial meeting in Copenhagen on Thursday. Granic is heading a Croatian state delegation which is participating in the sixth OSCE meeting, which started today. "Croatia has firm strategic decisions concerning its security, political and economic Euro-Atlantic integration. It is the host of the OSCE Mission, an active participant in other OSCE missions and it believes that the OSCE should be given a more important role," Granic said, adding it was visible that the OSCE role was becoming more important every year. Speaking to reporters about the work of the meeting's first plenary session, which is held behind closed doors, Granic said that all of the most important speakers had mentioned the OSCE Mission in Croatia in a positive context, because of Croatia's willingness to cooperate and its transparent policy. The OSCE Mission in Croatia, which will be present in the Croatian Danube river region after the completion of the UNTAES mandate, will be the second largest OSCE mission. The largest OSCE mission is in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Croatia had reached an agreement with the OSCE, in that way determining the dimensions of the OSCE Mission in Croatia, Granic said. Its task would be to stabilise the situation and establish trust in the Croatian Danube river region after the completion of the peaceful reintegration and the UNTAES mandate, he added. The mission would mean a lot for "the credibility of the Republic of Croatia". OSCE recommendations would be important guidelines for future steps to be taken by the European Union toward Croatia, Granic said. Asked about the opposing views of Washington and Moscow concerning the development of the OSCE's role in European security, which, in general, concern stronger or weaker cooperation with NATO, Granic said it was necessary to find 'the right proportion', which was the task of the OSCE summit to be held at the end of 1998 or the beginning of 1999. Commenting on the introduction of new OSCE posts, such as the representative for freedom of the press and the coordinator for economic activities and environmental protection, Granic said Croatia had supported the introduction of the new posts because it believed that the OSCE was "very important for the internal development of countries in transition and their getting closer to the best European standards". Croatia wanted to have as active and as strong role in the OSCE as possible, as well as in all processes which were conducted by the OSCE, Granic said. (hina) jn rm 181708 MET dec 97