INTENSIVE TALKS NEXT STEP FOR CROATIA, GRANIC SAYS

OSIJEK, Apr 6 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister, Mate Granic, yesterday spoke before a public panel in Osijek. He reiterated that "Resolution 981 was the strongest political document adopted by the Security Council in Croatia's favour." He went on to detail population statistics for the now occupied areas, which had a pre-war population of 650,000 - 220,000 Croats, 78,000 non-Serbs and 305,000 Serbs. According to expert estimates, both Croatian and foreign, there were now no more than 200,000 inhabitants left in the occupied areas - most of whom (185,000) were Serbs, with only two to three thousand Croats and five to six thousand other non-Serbs, Granic said. The next steps for Croatia were intensive talks, first with the international community and then with local Serbs, Granic said, adding that the recognition of Croatia within internationally recognised borders was a precondition for normalising relations with Belgrade. "The overall military, economic and political strengthening of Craotia is the best guarantee that we will some day control our borders and that Croatia will be both sovereign and whole," Granic said. (hina) mm as 061153 MET apr 95