VAN DEN BROEK RECEIVES CROATIAN DELEGATION

( Editorial: --> 9099 ) BRUSSELS, Feb 3 (Hina) - A European Commission Commissioner in charge of foreign affairs, Hans van den Broek, on Tuesday received a delegation of the Croatian National Parliament which is attending a European Parliament session in Brussels. Van den Broek said that the situation in Croatia had improved. He especially expressed satisfaction about the way in which Croatia had implemented the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube river region. The Council of Europe, European Commission and Parliament advocated a prompt return of refugees and displaced persons, van den Broek said, adding that certain legal solutions about the ownership of realestate had to be resolved. Van den Broek expressed satisfaction with Croatia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), calling on it to continue doing so. We want to encourage the Croatian government to continue with their efforts in the democratisation process, he said. Van den Broek announced that the European Commission would in March inform the Council of Ministers about the situation in Croatia so that possibilities for the conclusion of trade agreements and the reopening of the PHARE programme could be enabled. Van den Broek said those countries who wanted better relations with the EU had to attempt to have good relations with their neighbours. He stressed that he primarily wanted to persuade Croatia that it was not about any kind of 'forcing' into some associations in the region of the former Yugoslavia. He reiterated that Croatia's approaching the European Union would not depend on the lack of leniency of its neighbours. A European Parliament member, Karl Habsburg-Lothringen, voiced against placing Croatia into the Balkans. Croatia was a part of central Europe, he stressed, adding that he hoped that suggestions of the European Parliament delegation would be accepted at the opening of the PHARE programme. Renzo Imbeni agreed, adding that the effects of the programme would be for Croatia more of a moral nature than economic. Arie Oostlander, a people's representative from Germany, asked van den Broek whether the EU could expedite the integration of Croatia and help to stimulate the three-way return of refugees and displaced persons. After the Croatian military operation "Storm", the European Council had frozen the PHARE programme for Croatia, because it had been dissatisfied with the fact that a military solution had prevailed over a political solution, van den Broek said. For solving the three-way return of refugees and displaced persons, our attention will be focused on the readiness of the Croatian government to solve the problem, he said, adding that the European Commission had set aside significant resources for the programme. (hina) lm mm 031544 MET feb 98