CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GRANIC IN WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Hina) - The major political value of UN Security Council Resolution 947 was its appeal to countries established out of the former Yugoslavia to acknowledge each other within their internationally recognized borders, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said today in Washington. In his address to the Carnegie Peace Foundation, Granic said the other benefit of Resolution 947 was its call to the major power Contact Group to devise a plan for reintegrating the UN Protected Areas (UNPAs), despite the resolution lacking operational mechanisms. Granic said a plan for Croatia, devised by the Contact Group, was expected to be finalised in two months. Speaking on UNPA situation, Granic said that Serbs in those areas had expelled the Croatian and non-Serb population. Croatia had started negotiations with Serbs in UNPAs, but the negotiations had so far brought no results, Granic said, adding that the Serbs rejected the idea of existing in the Republic of Croatia. Croatia welcomed Serbian President Milosevic's acceptance of the Contact Group's Bosnian peace plan. But Croatia expected Milosevic to recognize Croatia within its internationally approved borders, Granic said. Asked whether he agreed with US Defence Secretary Perry's statements that Milosevic was flouting the Bosnia/Serbia border blockade, Granic said he agreed and added that 130 international observers were not enough to control the entire border. Commenting on the crisis in Bosnia, Granic reiterated that the Washington Accords represented a significant step in Moslem-Croat relations. Responding to some assertions that the situation in eastern Mostar (under Moslem control) was graver than in the Croat-held western part of the city where there was no water, electricity and municipal services, Granic said that Mostar EU Administrator Hans Koschnik had told him the situation was improving. Asked about US Ambassador Galbraith's plan for Croatia which was being circulated around the State Department and was to be sent to the Contact Group, Granic said that US and Russian Ambassadors to Croatia, P. Galbraith and L. Kerestedzianz, and UN and EU Ambassadors K. Eide and G. Ahrens were still working on the plan. Granic said that according to Galbraith's information, a considerable degree of autonomy for the Knin and Glina districts was proposed. He stressed that any kind of federalization or confederalization of Croatia were absolutely out of the question. He reiterated that Croatian Serb irregulars and Bosnian Serbs could not execute any upsurgings without military assistance and other types of aid from Serbia proper. Asked about the possibilities of a complete lifting of the sanctions on Serbia, Granic said that the precondition for this was Serbia's recognition of the Republic of Croatia. Granic is to visit US Congress committees today and is expected to hold talks with Senator Dole. (hina) mm sd 031853 MET oct 94