CROATIA'S INTERESTS SAFEGUARDED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT, PRESIDENT T

T $ UDJMAN SAYS ZAGREB, March 12 (Hina) - "With this agreement in principle on a new UN Security Council mandate, Croatia's interests as a state and a nation are safeguarded to the fullest extent," Croatian President Franjo Tudjman said upon his return from Copenhagen. "This agreement ensures the main task of Croatian state policy, which is to control the Croatian borders," Tudjman said. President Tudjman this evening returned from Copenhagen, where he attended the UN Social Development Summit. The agreement in principle on a new UN Security Council mandate in Croatia was made public this morning by President Tudjman and US Vice-President Al Gore at a joint press conference. "Croatia would not have accepted this agreement if it did not provide for the international control of Croatia's borders with Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina," Tudjman said. Croatia's borders will be monitored by UN forces, "under a special agreement signed only by Croatia and with a separate command," President Tudjman said, adding that the composition of these forces was subject to the Croatian Government's approval. No deadline was set for concluding this new agreement, but it was agreed that it would have to be done as soon as possible. Tudjman was hopeful that the agreement would be concluded before the end of June - the deadline set by Croatia's decision to end the UNPROFOR mandate, which he stressed "still stood." The fact that the new solution, brought forth thanks mostly to the efforts of the United States, had been "agreed to in principle" by the European Union and Russia, guaranteed that the agreement would be adopted by the Security Council. "The approval of rebel Serbs will not be required, as they do not have the status of an internationally recognised party with equal footing," Tudjman said. Asked what reactions he expected from rebel Serbs, Tudjman said most of them would "probably realise, on instructions from Belgrade, that there was no other solution but the peaceful reintegration of the occupied areas into Croatia's constitutional and legal system." President Tudjman announced the opening of the Slavonia railway line via Okucani in the next few days. He said the technical aspects of the opening of the Zagreb-Knin-Split railway line were being discussed. (hina) jn as 122135 MET mar 95