PRESIDENT TUDJMAN RECEIVES BOSNIAN CROAT REPRESENTATIVES

ZAGREB, May 14 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Friday received 140 Bosnian Croat representatives, including deputies in the House of Representatives of Herzeg-Bosnia, representatives of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina (HDZ B-H), members of the Herzeg-Bosnian presidential council, ministers in the Herzeg-Bosnian government and Croatian Defence Council (HVO) representatives. Discussed was the implementation of the Washington Agreements. The talks were attended by Prime Minister Nikica Valentic, Deputy Prime Ministers Mate Granic and Vladimir Seks, and Defence Minister Gojko Susak. President Tudjman expressed thankfulness to Croats from Bosnia-Herzegovina for all they had done in defence of Croathood, singling out the signing of the Washington Agreement, which helped preserve Croathood in Bosnia-Herzegovina and protect Croatia's strategic interests. "Thanks to this policy and the treaties we have signed, we have achieved as much as could be done in the given historical circumstances," said President Tudjman. Denying there had been any turnabout in the Croatian policy toward Bosnia-Herzegovina, President Tudjman said that policy was the only possible, strategically viable and consistent choice. "We have merely adapted our policy to internal and external circumstances, but there has been no turnaround or change of direction. It was with our consent that the cantonal and provincial solutions for Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as the concept of the Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina, were elaborated two years ago. In accepting these solutions, we were prompted by the will of the Croatian people to protect Croatian interests in the whole of Bosnia-Herzegovina." President Tudjman pointed out that the Croatian people in Bosnia-Herzegovina had placed their absolute confidence in the HDZ leadership, which is now called to rally the people under the banner of the federation and confederation. Speaking of cantonal delimitation, President Tudjman said the Croats could be "quite satisfied" with two Croat and two mixed cantons. "We should have confidence in ourselves and our achievements, because the western world and all the important international factors are on our side," said President Tudjman. Prime Minister Nikica Valentic spoke of the Government's stabilisation programme, the introduction of the new Croatian currency, the kuna, the establishment of commercial relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, and trade arrangements with Islamic countries. Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic stressed that the Washington Agreement was a tremendous success of the Croatian policy, which ranked Croatia as the only stable factor in this part of Europe. Chairman of the Herzeg-Bosnian presidential council Kresimir Zubak said this meeting (with President Tudjman) had been very necessary to dispel certain doubts and reserves regarding the implementation of the Washington Agreement, which he described as the "only and the optimum solution." "Those who say that the Croats come off as loosers after this agreement are mistaken," Zubak emphasized. 141216 MET may 94