ADRIATIC OIL PIPELINE TO OPEN TODAY, SARINIC SAYS

ZAGREB, Jan 25 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman today received co-chairman of the Peace Conference on Former Yugoslavia, Lord David Owen. Before that, Owen met Croatian Govt. Chief Negotiator with local Serbs and President Tudjman's Chief-of-Staff, Hrvoje Sarinic. After the talks, Sarinic announced that the northern branch of the Adriatic pipeline would be opened this afternoon. The pipeline would be put in operation tomorrow at 10:00 hours when the oil "would start flowing from Omisalj to Sisak and on to Central European countries - Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia," Sarinic said. The opening of the oil pipeline, following the earlier opening of the Zagreb-Lipovac highway and in the context of efforts aimed at opening the Zagreb-Belgrade and Zagreb-Knin-Split railway lines, confirms that the process of peaceful reintegration is in full swing," he said. The next round of talks between the Croatian Government and Knin Serbs, scheduled for next week, will deal with water and electric power systems and the oil company, "which shows that the implementation of the Dec 2 Economic Agreement is now something real and not only a piece of paper." Answering a reporter's question, Sarinic said UNPROFOR had wanted to postpone the pipeline's opening for another week or two for "ecological reasons" but the matter was settled after talks with Akashi. UNPROFOR may be lacking motivation after the decision to end its mandate, Sarinic said. A reporter asked whether Foreign Minister Granic would travel to Belgrade as President Tudjman announced in a recent interview with Washington Post. "If the President said so, he must know what he's talking about," Sarinic replied. "All the conditions set by the President have been met, so Minister Granic will be able to travel by the Zagreb-Lipovac highway," Sarinic said, adding that the Belgrade talks would focus "on serious issues, such as the recognition of the Republic of Croatia." Asked when the Z-4 group plan (peace plan for Croatia) would be discussed, Sarinic said that would be known next week. Lord Owen, who met Serbian President Milosevic and Knin Serb leader Mikelic yesterday in Belgrade, said Milosevic was "worried about the decision to end the UNPROFOR mandate." "So are many of Croatia's friends," he added. (hina) jn as 251753 MET jan 95