ZAGREB, March 21 (Hina) - Following his visit to Slovenia on Sunday and Monday that was the first country which Croatian President Stjepan Mesic visited officially since he took the post, he is travelling to another Croatian neighbour
- Bosnia-Herzegovina - this week, indicating thus that priorities of Zagreb's foreign policy are good ties with its neighbours, said Mesic's advisor on foreign affairs, Stanko Nick, on Tuesday. Croatian President will be in Sarajevo on Thursday and Friday and meet the chairman and the other two members of Bosnia's collective Presidency. Mesic is also expected to attend a meeting of the Inter-State Council for Cooperation between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Nick told reporters that Mesic's visit to Slovenia had been very successful, welcome and timely. His stay contributed to the further thawing of the political relations. In addition, it has also given an impe
ZAGREB, March 21 (Hina) - Following his visit to Slovenia on Sunday
and Monday that was the first country which Croatian President
Stjepan Mesic visited officially since he took the post, he is
travelling to another Croatian neighbour - Bosnia-Herzegovina -
this week, indicating thus that priorities of Zagreb's foreign
policy are good ties with its neighbours, said Mesic's advisor on
foreign affairs, Stanko Nick, on Tuesday.
Croatian President will be in Sarajevo on Thursday and Friday and
meet the chairman and the other two members of Bosnia's collective
Presidency. Mesic is also expected to attend a meeting of the Inter-
State Council for Cooperation between Croatia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina.
Nick told reporters that Mesic's visit to Slovenia had been very
successful, welcome and timely.
His stay contributed to the further thawing of the political
relations. In addition, it has also given an impetus to the
settlement of open issues and produced first palpable results, Nick
added.
Commenting on the announced visit to Bosnia, Mesic's advisor said
it was equally important but, perhaps "more delicate", as Croatia
has no such open questions with Bosnia as with Slovenia, but the
overall relations between Zagreb and Sarajevo are far more
complex.
The current stand of Zagreb on Bosnia is radically different from
the stance of former Croatian authorities and it is no more the same
policy nor the same relations, Nick explained adding that incumbent
Croatian authorities are offering the unreserved support to
Bosnia-Herzegovina's unity, sovereignty and integrity of its
territory.
Croatia will continue to take care of the interests of Bosnian
Croats in the most suitable manner for their legal interests, he
stressed adding that the policy of the former authorities almost
halved the number of Bosnian Croats, and out of the one-time 17
percent in the entire Bosnian population, Croatians are now making
out some 10 percent.
Mesic and other members in the state delegation will fly to Sarajevo
aboard a Challenger used by the Government, as the timetable of
regular flights between Zagreb and Sarajevo is unfavourable for the
agenda of this trip, although Mesic had intended to fly on regular
line, his aide told reporters.
After its first meeting held in Zagreb on 9 November 1998, the
second meeting of the Inter-State Council for Cooperation between
Croatia and Bosnia, to be held in Sarajevo, will focus on the
signing of a series of bilateral contracts on property and legal
relations, trade, railway traffic, power industry, hand-over and
other items.
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