GRANIC RECEIVES NEWLY APPOINTED RUSSIAN SPECIAL ENVOY ZOTOV

ZAGREB, Nov 3 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mate Granic today received the newly-appointed Russian President's special envoy and Contact Group for Bosnia-Herzegovina member, ambassador Aleksandar Ivanovich Zotov, the Croatian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Zotov was hopeful that he could help find a resolution to the crisis in the former Yugoslavia. Zotov informed Granic of the talks he had recently held in Belgrade, and in Croatia with local Serb representatives. Granic told Zotov of Croatia's views on the reintegration of the occupied areas into the Croatian Constitutional and legal system. Regarding a forthcoming meeting with Yugoslav Foreign Minister Vladislav Jovanovic, to be held at the proposal of the Co-Chairmen of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, Granic emphasized that Croatia was ready to talk about the normalization of the relations, but only on the principles of: the mutual recognition of internationally recognized borders, a peaceful reintegration of the occupied areas into Croatia's constitutional and legal system, the respect of human and minority rights, and solving an issue on the former Yugoslavia's succession under the decisions of the so-called Badinter Commission. Croatia was ready to talk about agreements through which relations would normalize, but only after the mutual recognition and solving general relations, Granic said. (hina) mm ks sd 031337 MET nov 94