FOREIGN MINISTER GRANIC ON CONTACT GROUP PLAN FOR CROATIA

WASHINGTON, Oct 4 (Hina) - Relations between USA and Croatia are on the rise and Croatia is now a reliable partner of USA, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic last night said before his departure from Washington. US congressmen yesterday expressed full support to Croatia's standpoints on the implementation of the Washington Accords during the talks at US congress, Granic said. At the talks they won agreement on political issues concerning Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. "I said clearly that a plan for Croatia must be devised in the framework of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Croatia," Granic said and stressed that any kind of federalization or confederalization of Croatia was absolutely out of question. Granic met US special envoy Charles Thomas and US Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith. Their talks centred on today's session of the Major Power Contact Group for Bosnia in Geneva where the Contact Group officials should also discuss a plan on reintegrating UN Protected Areas (UNPAs) into Croatian constitutional and legal system. The plan on the reintegration of UNPAs is now being drawn up, and it is to outline a considerable degree of the local autonomy for the Knin and Glina district excluding any sort of federalization or confederalization of Croatia. (hina) mar mm 041103 MET oct 94