CROATIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER - STATEMENT

ZAGREB, Dec 21 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman received Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaen on Saturday, the President's Office said in a statement. Tudjman thanked the Belgian government and the Belgian battalion attached to the UN Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) for their efforts to successfully complete the process of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube river region. "I hope that local elections, which have been agreed with General Klein for March next year, will not only enable a speedy completion of the peaceful reintegration process but will also improve the relations between Croatia and the European Union, of which Belgium is a prominent member," the President said. Tudjman stressed the need for concrete assistance of the EU in the reconstruction of the region, adding that it was very important for the return and renewal of the economic life of displaced people, both Croats and members of national minorities, and those Serbs who accept Croatia as their homeland and want to stay in it. Dehaen said that a successful completion of the peaceful reintegration process would be of great importance for strengthening relations between Croatia and the European Union, as well as bilateral relations between Croatia and Belgium. Stressing that Croatia historically and geopolitically belonged to Central Europe, Tudjman stressed that any approach that would attempt to drag Croatia into the Balkan or southeastern region, would be counterproductive and destabilizing. "Croatia wants to have good relations with all of its neighbours, but it sees its future in Central Europe and not on the Balkans," the President said. Dehaen said that it was evident that Croatian history was part of the history of Western Europe and that with the completion of the peaceful reintegration process Croatia would occupy a place in Europe which belongs to it. The meeting was attended by Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic, Defence Minister Gojko Susak, Presidential Foreign Policy Adviser Zeljko Matic as well as Belgian Defence Minister Jean- Paul Poncelet and Ambassador to Croatia Frans Hintjens. (hina) vm 211249 MET dec 96