CROATIA, E.U. TO CONTINUE TRADE AND COOPERATION TALKS IN AUTUMN

ZAGREB, July 11 (Hina) - Croatia and the European Union will continue negotations on a trade and cooperation agreement in the autumn, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic and his Irish counterpart Dick Spring said in Zagreb on Thursday. Granic and the EU delegation, including Spring, whose country is currently holding the six-month rotating presidency of the EU, and EU commissioner Hans van den Broek, discussed relations between Croatia and the EU and the peace process in the region. If Croatia continues to improve democracy and human rights at the current pace, we believe that its relations with the EU will strengthen, Van den Broek said. Negotiations on the PHARE programme and the trade and cooperation agreement between Croatia and the EU have been frozen since last summer. Croatia pledged full cooperation with the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, Granic said, adding that Croatia would criticize the Tribunal for accusing only four men of crimes committed during Serbian aggression against Croatia and for failure to press charges for war crimes against the Croat population in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Granic said that Croatia was making every effort to establish the rule of law in the liberated areas. He reiterated Croatia's support for the Dayton peace process. Spring described the talks as a useful exchange of views on a number of issues, including the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement, the Prevlaka peninsula, Mostar, the Bosnian Croat-Moslem Federation, human rights and freedom of the media. The implementation of the Dayton accords is a top priority of the European Union, Spring said. Van den Broek said that the talks were open and friendly even when they concerned sensitive issues. He added that he was pleased with the progress made in Croatia. (hina) vm jn 111951 MET jul 96