BELGRADE WOULD LOVE UNPROFOR TO STAY, DENIES TERRITORIAL CLAIMS

BELGRADE, Jan 25 (Hina) - "Croatia's decision to end the UNPROFOR mandate is the expression of war-mongering forces," Yugoslav Prime Minister Radoje Kontic said today. Speaking at a new-year reception for the diplomatic corps, Kontic said the "Vance plan remained the basis for talks between Zagreb and Knin." The Serbs have recently taken to celebrating New Year in line with the old Julian calendar, on Jan 14. "Yugoslavia has no territorial pretensions toward former Yugoslav republics and will respect any negotiated settlement resolving the existing problems," Kontic said. "But that means that these problems have to be resolved first," he explained. He said such a settlement was a condition for talks on mutual recognition of former Yugoslav republics. Members of Croatia's Office in Belgrade were not at the reception, because they had not been invited, Hina's Belgrade correspondent said. (hina) jn as 251836 MET jan 95