GRANIC RECEIVES STATE SECRETARY IN INDIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY, VINOD GROVER

GROVER ZAGREB, 20 April (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic on Saturday received State Secretary in the Indian Foreign Ministry, Vinod K. Grover, who is visiting Croatia, a statement from the Foreign Ministry said. #L# Grover informed Granic about a decision of his government to open its embassy in Croatia at the end of May. The embassy would have a temporary charge d'affaires until the resident ambassador is named after parliamentary elections in India, Grover said. After the talks with Granic, Grover had a working meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Simonovic and Granic's aide for overseas bilateral cooperation, Frane Krnic. Grover and his hosts discussed topics of mutual bilateral interest in the working part of the meeting. The high Indian guest was especially interested in the implementation of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area, the IFOR mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina and possibilities of improvement of economic cooperation between India and Croatia. The Indian government intended to offer a certain number of its police officers to the United Nations Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES). Grover and his hosts agreed to sign a contract on maritime transport. The signing of the agreement could be expected soon. As regards the succession to the former Yugoslavia, India has not recognised and has no intention of recognizing any successor state as the only or immediate successor, Grover said, adding his government would base its decision on the agreement between the five successor states and recommendations of the succession under- commission. The officials stressed that the talks on bilateral cooperation which were opened during last year's visit of Minister Granic to India should be continued in the form of a meeting between the two foreign ministries and interested businesspeople. The meeting was announced for the beginning of September in New Delhi. (hina) rm 201234 MET apr 96