GRANIC RECEIVES EUROPEAN COMMISSION SPECIAL ENVOY - STATEMENT

ZAGREB, June 6 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic on Thursday received European Commission special envoy Fulvio Paolini, a Foreign Ministry statement said. Paolini handed a letter from EU High Commissioner Hans van den Broek about his appointment as special envoy to Croatia. Granic welcomed Paolini's appointment to the new post as an important step in the institutionalization of relations between the Republic of Croatia and the European union. Granic said that Croatia's main strategic and development priority, along with the peaceful reintegration of the still occupied areas, was active participation in European integrations, particularly within the European Union. Paolini expressed confidence that in his new position he would be able to support even more fully reconstruction and development processes in Croatia. Paolini announced that the chairman of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers and Italian Foreign Minister, Lamberto Dini, and European Commission president Jacques Santer were coming to Croatia on a visit on Friday. Recalling that Croatia was developing good relations with neigbouring countries and was willing to fully normalize relations with Belgrade, Granic stressed the importance and need for an individual approach in the admission of Croatia to European integration processes as well as in the development of relations with the European Union. (hina) vm jn 061121 MET jun 96