CROATIAN & BOSNIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS HOLD WORKING MEETING

( Editorial: --> 8367 ) ZAGREB, Jan 30 (Hina) - As chairing-country of the Central European Initiative, Croatia will put a lot of effort in leading the organisation and will try to arrange a meeting between the European Union troika and CEI member-countries later this year, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic told reporters in Zagreb Friday. Today Granic held a working meeting with his Bosnian counterpart Jadranko Prlic, focusing on Croatia's taking over of the CEI chairmanship from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Both ministers agreed Bosnia-Herzegovina was successful in chairing the organisation last year. According to Granic, "the CEI is the entrance hall to European and Euro-Atlantic institutions and the right place for bilateral meetings and cooperation in economics, tourism and transport". Bosnia's Prlic said 1997 was the year when "the CEI acquired an institutionalised form, and (the year that saw) the definitive victory of standpoints that there will be no new separation lines in Europe and that developed European countries should assist less developed ones". Granic and Prlic today adjusted an agreement on the establishment of a Council for Cooperation between Croatia and Bosnia- Herzegovina, which needs to be ratified by the Bosnian Presidency. "On the Croatian side, the agreement has been fully adjusted and we believe it will be signed soon," said the Croatian foreign minister. "After setting up negotiation teams on the part of the (Croat- Muslim) Bosnian Federation, we are ready to commence talks on special relations between Croatia and the Federation, on the use of the port of Ploce (southern Croatia) and the establishment of free passage through Neum (Bosnian Federation resort on the Adriatic)," the Bosnian foreign minister said. Prlic and Granic announced a consortium should be established for the building of the Zagreb-Dubrovnik motorway, with branches to Split, Sarajevo and Ploce, as part of the special relations agreement. According to Granic, Zagreb is currently waiting for the Bosnian Presidency's permission to open a Croatian consulate general in Banja Luka, in the Bosnian Serb entity. Croatia welcomed the election of a new government there and believed conditions were being created for cooperation with that entity, especially in economics, said Granic. However, he added, it is still necessary to resolve some "open humanitarian issues". Both the Croatian and Bosnian foreign ministers said future talks on a new visa system would be possible after Bosnian authorities reach an agreement on passports, citizenship and the country's symbols. (hina) ha jn 301619 MET jan 98