CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS SLOVENIAN COUNTERPART

ZAGREB, Feb 2 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic today met his Slovene counterpart, Zoran Thaler, and his associates. "We agreed on bilateral cooperation mechanisms," Granic told reporters, adding that Slovenian and Croatian trade and finance ministers, as well as a joint Borders Commission, would meet this month to prepare for a meeting between the two Prime Ministers in March. Today's talks also focused on wider issues such as European integration processess, the succession of former Yugoslavia, talks with the Paris and London Clubs and relations with other neighbours, Granic said. He said both Croatia and Slovenia embraced the same long-term goals: to join European integration processes and promote friendly relations with neighbours. Thaler described the talks as "useful and informative", expressing a desire for contacts to continue. "Minister Granic provided me with all the information on Croatia's decision to end the UNPROFOR mandate," Thaler said. "Our view is that Croatia is fully entitled to establish its sovereignty within its internationally recognised borders," he said. "Slovenia would like this to happen by peaceful means." The two ministers also discussed the opening of respective consulates in Maribor and Split. Also present were Croatian Assistant Foreign Minister Smiljan Simac, Croatian ambassador to Slovenia, Miljenko Zagar, Slovenian ambassador to Croatia, Matija Malesic, chairman of the Croatian Government Borders Commission, Hrvoje Kacic, and his Slovene counterpart Iztok Simoniti. (hina) mm as sd 031702 MET feb 95