GRANIC RECEIVES OUTGOING U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL'S ENVOY ANNAN

ZAGREB, March 1 (Hina) - The Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic on Friday received the outgoing special envoy of the U.N. Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, a statement from the Foreign Ministry said. #L# Minister Granic and Mr Annan agreed that the reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area into Croatia's constitutional and legal order was so far being carried out in line with the Basic Agreement and U.N. Security Council resolutions. Mr Annan expressed hope that the deployment of 5,000 international soldiers in the area would be completed by end April or by the beginning of May at the latest, when the process of demilitarization of the area is due to start. Minister Granic reiterated that "the normalisation of relations between the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia can be an additional impulse to the process of peaceful reintegration". Granic stressed Croatia's readiness to guarantee full respect for human and minority rights to all its citizens. Speaking about Croatia's commitment to the establishment and strengthening of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Granic said that Croatia and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina could coordinate efforts in joining European integration processes and security organisations. Expressing satisfaction with the transfer of Sarajevo suburbs to the Federation's authority, Granic stressed that the example of Sarajevo Serbs who were leaving the Bosnian capital only confirmed the method of organised relocation of the Serb population in Croatia, which followed after the military operation "Storm". Mr Annan warned that the Serb authority wanted to relocate the majority of Serbs to the Brcko area, adding that could pose a problem during the arbitration in the area. At the end of the talks, Minister Granic thanked Mr Annan for good cooperation with Croatian authorities in times which were very delicate for Croatia, the statement said. (hina) rm 011323 MET mar 96