MINISTER GRANIC RECEIVES FRENCH PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION

ZAGREB, July 5 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister, Dr. Mate Granic, received today afternoon in Zagreb a delegation of the French Parliament's committee on foreign affairs, led by a parliamentary deputy, Jean Bernard Raimond, said the Croatian Foreign Ministry's statement on Tuesday evening. Minister Granic informed guests of the situation in the region underlining Croatia's efforts to reintegrate peacefully its occupied areas. He also backed a proposal of the five powers' "contact group" for solutions to the crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Asked by the French delegation why Croatia was dissatisfied with U.N. Protection Force (UNPROFOR) Croatian Foreign Minister said that UNPROFOR had played an important role in stopping further aggression against Croatia, but now not implementing the relevant U.N. resolutions it just maintained the current situation, what could not be acceptable. Therefore, in accordance to U.N. Security Council's Resolution 769 Croatia expected that UNPROFOR establish control over its internationally recognized borders, so that the main cause of the crisis, the support of Serbia to Serb rebels in Croatia, might be solved. Croatia guarantees a high degree of autonomy to the Serbs in the occupied areas. Croatia considers that normalization of relations with Serbia cannot be carried out unless Serbia recognizes Croatia within its internationally recognized borders, stressed Minister Granic. He said that Croatia also expected the support of France, within the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN), in its peace initiatives aimed at a peaceful settlement to the problem of the occupied areas. The French parliamentary delegation was accompanied by the French Ambassador to Croatia, Georges-Marie Chenu. 052100 MET jul 94