CROATIAN AND HUNGARIAN PRESIDENTS CONFER IN ZAGREB - STATEMENT

ZAGREB, May 16 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman met in Zagreb on Thursday with Hungarian President Arpad Goencz, who was on a working visit to Croatia, the President's Office said in a statement. President Tudjman was pleased to meet Hungarian President Goencz and thanked him for Hungary's sincere friendship during the creation of the independent Croatian state, in the difficult times of Yugoslav aggression and during the liberation of occupied Croatian areas. "Historical experience we had in our joint defence against Ottoman Turk conquerors and the struggle against Austrian absolutism, although in certain times our relations were not the most ideal, taught us to make a sincere friendship, which is confirmed by this meeting," Tudjman said. The President highlighted historical relations between the two countries as well as cultural ties which could be traced from the time of Ivan Cesmicki to Miroslav Krleza. Hungarian President Goencz said that the eight centuries of the common past could not be erased and added that Mediterranean culture and the Renaissance had come to Hungary via Croatia. Goencz said that there were no open issues between the two countries nor were there any problems regarding minorities. He expressed hope that Hungarian-language secondary schools would be opened soon in Osijek and Zagreb and that one primary and one secondary school with Croatian-language curricula would be opened in Budapest. President Tudjman supported these efforts. The two presidents expressed confidence that the process of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube River area would be completed successfully, which would enable the return of all displaced persons, among whom there was also a large number of ethnic Hungarians. Hungary supported the Dayton peace process, the proof of which was its engineer troops serving with the Implementation Force (IFOR), Goencz said. Speaking of the entry of Croatia into European integrations, Goencz expressed full support of his country because it was not only in the interest of the two countries but also of Europe because in cultural terms Hungary and Croatia had always been part of Central Europe. President Tudjman said that some European circles did not understand this and that they wanted to drag Croatia back into the Balkans, "which we cannot and will not accept." Concerning the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, President Tudjman said that Croatia supported the full implementation of the Washington and Dayton peace agreements, particularly the strengthening of the Bosnian Federation and linking it to the Republic of Croatia and to Europe, which was in both European and international interest and for the realisation of which greater international support was needed. "Unfortunately, there are those in European circles who want to compromise the Dayton process at Croatian expense," President Tudjman said. Hungarian President Goencz said that "all European doors should be opened to Croatia," reiterating that Croatia would have full Hungarian support because Hungary and Croatia had the same interests. The two presidents agreed that their countries should increase their cultural and economic cooperation and step up joint efforts in the construction of a railway line and a highway from Budapest to Rijeka via Zagreb. Croatian officials attending the talks were Presidential Chief of Staff Ivo Sanader, Foreign Policy Adviser Zeljko Matic and Ambassador to Budapest Zdenko Skrabalo. The Hungarian delegation included Presidential Chief of Staff Karoly Szalay and Foreign Policy Adviser Zsolt Rabai, the statement concluded. (hina) vm 161757 MET may 96