ZUZUL COMMENTS ON CROATIA'S BID TO ESTABLISH TIES WITH NATO

WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Hina) - Croatia's constructive cooperation in the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement and a successful completion of the peaceful reintegration of the Danube river area can help it enter NATO's Partnership for Peace programme and in the long run the Alliance itself, Croatian Ambassador to the United States Miomir Zuzul said in Washington on Tuesday. In Detroit on Tuesday, US President Bill Clinton said in a foreign policy address on NATO's expansion that the Alliance's door would not close after admission of the first round of candidates. "The US administration undoubtedly supports Croatia's bid for integration into NATO," Zuzul said, adding that its admission would depend on the stabilization of the whole region, particularly Bosnia-Herzegovina. He noted that Croatia had won solid support when it was included in a law on NATO's expansion passed by Congress in July. Croatian Defence Minister Gojko Susak is travelling to Washington later this month for talks on the expansion of military cooperation between the two countries. He is also expected to discuss Croatia's application for association with NATO. "We have been told by administration officials that the pace of admission will primarily depend on ourselves, i.e. on the objective situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia," Zuzul said. "At this moment no one disputes Croatia's positive role in the implementation of the Dayton accords and good cooperation in eastern Croatia," he added. Zuzul said that problems such as freedom of the media and the right of Serb refugees to return to Croatia would certainly be raised by some circles in the US and that their criticism in this regard should not be underestimated. Zuzul said that some of those issues had recently been given publicity which they did not deserve considering the actual situation. In some cases this could be described as a form of pressure aimed at keeping Croatia on the desired course, he added. (hina) vm 231009 MET oct 96