CROATIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES DUTCH FOREIGN MINISTER - STATEMENT

ZAGREB, April 30 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Tuesday received the Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Henricus Antonius Franciscus Mario Oliva van Mierlo, the Presidential Office said in a statement. "The President said he was pleased that the Dutch minister visited Croatia at a time when the Parliamentary Assembly had positively assessed Croatia's request for admission to the Council of Europe, expressing hope that the Committee of Ministers would confirm it. The President said that, because Croatia had not been an independent state, many in European circles did not know about Croatian contribution to European culture and civilization. 'Now that it has gained independence, Croatia wants to return to where it belongs - among Central European countries and not some Balkan associations. 'We want to normalize relations with our neighbours, but nothing more than that,' the President said. 'Croatia is resolved in its intention to implement the process of peaceful reintegration of the Danube river area, for which there are realistic prospects because of the determination of UN Transitional Administrator Jacques Klein and Belgrade's cooperativeness,' he said. Concerning Bosnia-Herzegovina, the President said that Croatia supported the Washington and Dayton peace agreements, particularly the strengthening of the Federation and linking it to Europe via the Republic of Croatia, which was not only in Croatian but also in European interests. 'In order to achieve that, we need support and understanding of Europe and the United States,' the President said. Congratulating the President on everything Croatia had achieved in the past few years, Minister van Mierlo said that he had seen it for himself during his visits to Croatian towns that Croatia was part of Europe and that there was no reason to prevent its admission to the Council of Europe. Croatian officials attending the talks included Presidential Chief of Staff Ivo Sanader, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mate Granic, Presidential Foreign Policy Adviser Zeljko Matic and Ambassador to the Netherlands Branko Salaj. Minister van Mierlo was accompanied by the Charge d'Affaires at the Dutch Embassy in Zagreb, Jozef Willem Scheffers, and the Director General for Political Issues, J. M. Voss," the statement concluded. (hina) vm 301452 MET apr 96