ZAGREB, June 7 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on
Friday received a European Union delegation led by European
Commission President Jacques Santer and the Italian Foreign
Minister and Chairman of the EU Council of Ministers, Lamberto
Dini, the President's Office said in a statement.
Thanking the President and Croatia for their contstructive
role in the peace process, Dini said that the purpose of their
visit was to assess the progress of implementing the Dayton peace
accords, particulurly the possibility of holding elections in
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Dini said that the European Union and the Contact Group took
the view that the conduct of elections was crucial for
establishing legal authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
A date of the elections would be set by the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), he added.
Dini said he was encouraged by reports from Mostar because
the further mission of the EU administrator in the city would
depend on how the elections were conducted.
Santer said that EU economic aid would depend on future
relations with the countries in the region because the EU was
interested in stability and cooperation with all countries that
emerged after the breakup of former Yugoslavia.
Tudjman said that Croatia would persevere with the
consistent implementation of the Washington and Dayton agreement,
and particularly with the conduct of elections because in that
way Bosnian Serb leader Karadzic, military commander Mladic and
other people responsible for aggression would be removed from
power.
We must be aware that there are those who wish to review the
Dayton agreement and we must not allow such attempts to prevail
and succeed, the President said.
The Republic of Croatia cannot agree with a Balkan regional
approach because historically, culturally and politically it does
not belong to the Balkans, Tudjman said.
Croatia is part of Central Europe and the Mediterranean and
wants to join CEFTA and other Central European regional
institutions because only that way can it play a positive role in
resolving the crisis, he added.
Strengthening the Bosnian Federation and linking it with
Europe via Croatia is in the interest not only of Croatia but
also of Europe and the world, and in order to achieve that goal
greater cooperation and determination of the international
community is necessary, the President said.
The Republic of Croatia favours normalization of relations
between the countries that emerged after the disintegration of
former Yugoslavia, but tying Croatia to the Balkan region would
not contribute to the stability, Tudjman said.
Dini said that as an Italian he knew that Croatia had always
been linked to the West. He added that he would convey President
Tudjman's views of the unacceptability of the Balkan regional
approach at a EU ministerial meeting on Monday.
Also present at the talks were Croatia's Foreign Minister
Mate Granic, Presidential Chief of Staff Ivo Sanader,
Presidential Foreign Policy Adviser Zeljko Matic, Ambassador to
the EU Zoran Jasic, and Head of the President's Cabinet Gordan
Radin, the statement concluded.
(hina) vm
071935 MET jun 96
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