CROATIAN AMBASSADOR MEETS MACEDONIAN PRESIDENT

SKOPJE, Sept 20 (Hina) - Croatia's Ambassador to Macedonia, Onesin Cvitan, met Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov on Friday to discuss ways of promoting economic relations between the two countries. The talks focused on some outstanding issues, such as the property of Croatian companies in Macedonia. As regards the present customs barriers, Gligorov advocated a gradual transfer to customs-free trade between the two countries. In this respect, he supported the joint Croatian-Macedonian committee for monitoring and implementing the already signed cooperation agreements as well as the signing of other agreements. The two officials were in full agreement on the problem of succession to the former Yugoslavia, stressing that all newly- emerged states were its equal successors. They expressly said that they were against any form of integration in the area of the former Yugoslavia. (hina) vm 202016 MET sep 96