SARINIC MEETS INTERNATIONAL MEDIATORS

ZAGREB, Jan 4 (Hina) - Croatian government chief negotiator Hrvoje Sarinic met this morning for talks with co-chairmen of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia Lord David Owen and Thorvald Stoltenberg. Owen told reporters that the talks focused on further implementation of the December 2 economic agreement between the Croatian government and local Serb authorities in the UN- protected areas, particularly on the problems of electric power, water, the Adriatic oil pipeline and the Zagreb-Lipovac highway. Owen stressed that some progress was made in solving economic issues and that time for a political dialogue would come soon. The aim of today's talks was to make progress in implementing all aspects of the economic agreement and in that light decide on a right moment for starting a political dialogue, he added. Owen said a political dialogue would be much easier to conduct once economic issues in Croatia's UNPA zones were resolved. Asked what UNPROFOR would do if Croatia decided not to extend its mandate, Stoltenberg said UNPROFOR was here to help and if the Croatian Government and Parliament were not satisfied, UNPROFOR would leave. (hina) vm 041316 MET jan 95