BRUSSELS, 2 July (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic, who is on a one-day working visit to Brussels, was received today by the NATO Secretary General Javier Solana in the NATO main headquarters in Brussels.
BRUSSELS, 2 July (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic,
who is on a one-day working visit to Brussels, was received today
by the NATO Secretary General Javier Solana in the NATO main
headquarters in Brussels. #L#
After the meeting, Granic gave a statement to Croatian
reporters, saying NATO expected that Croatia would have a leading
role and absolute responsibility in the functioning of the
Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the implementation of the
peace process.
This, Granic said, was the most important issue at the talks
with Solana, who strongly condemned any attempt aimed at the
reconstruction of the government of Herzeg-Bosnia, as it was
opposed to the Dayton agreement. Granic said he had explained to
Solana that the reconstruction of the Herzeg-Bosnian government had
been undertaken so that life in the Croat-controlled parts of
Bosnia-Herzegovina could function normally.
Four topics were discussed at the talks with Solana: the
further course of the Bosnian peace process, the reintegration of
eastern Slavonia into Croatia's constitutional and legal system,
the global-regional approach to the south-eastern part of Europe
and Croatia's admission to the Partnership For Peace program and
other European-Atlantic institutions.
Solana expressed satisfaction with the successfully completed
election process in Mostar, stressing that the implementation of
the peace process in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and in particular
agreement between federal partners on a joint defence law, were
crucial for Croatia's approach to NATO and other European
institutions.
The international community fully supported the reintegration
of eastern Slavonia, Baranja and western Srijem, Granic said.
As regards initiatives according to which Croatia would be
admitted to European institutions together with other countries of
South-Eastern Europe, Granic said that there would be no more
pressure on Croatia in that sense if the peace process in Bosnia-
Herzegovina functioned well.
Croatia's admission to the Partnership for Peace would depend
on the development of the Bosnian peace process, sad Granic, citing
Javier Solana.
After the visit to the NATO headquarters, Granic will meet the
secretary general of the Western European Union, Jose Cutiliero,
and the Belgian foreign minister Erick Derycke.
(hina) rm jn
021445 MET jul 96