CROATIA & BOSNIA INTERESTED IN BETTER ECONOMIC RELATIONS

( Editorial: --> 7682 ) SARAJEVO, Mar 6 (Hina) - The Croatian President's special envoy for relations with the Croat-Muslim Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bosnia-Herzegovina Friday held talks with the highest Bosnian officials. The talks, held in Sarajevo, focused on improving economic cooperation between Croatia and BH. Special envoy Franjo Greguric held separate meetings with Bosnian Presidency chairman Alija Izetbegovic and Presidency member Kresimir Zubak, followed by talks with Bosnian Federation Vice- President Vladimir Soljic, Federation Premier Edhem Bicakcic and his deputy Drago Bilandzija. A special meeting was also held with deputy international High Representative for the implementation of the Dayton peace agreement, Jacques Klein. According to Greguric, the talks primarily focused on the problem of establishing railway transport between Croatia and Bosnia. "We especially talked about the railway to Split (Croatian coast)," Greguric told reporters, adding next week decisions would be reached on signing an inter-state agreement aimed at resolving the use of railways. Also discussed was the issue of making operational and opening bridges on the border rivers of Sava and Una, Greguric said, adding it was assessed that a new phase had started in the Bosnian Serb entity, with the government of Milorad Dodik, which enabled a resolution to that problem. The special envoy announced representatives for power supply industries from Croatia and Bosnia would agree on the delivery of electric power for this year. "We also initiated the very important issue of refugee return which has been concerning us all and we concluded that cooperation should be stepped up (...) in order to enable all those who want to do so to return to their hearths," Greguric said. There are no obstacles for the port of Ploce, southern Croatia, to be commercially used for the necessities of Bosnia's economy even before a final agreement on the way of using the port is reached, Greguric said. He said Croatia is interested in signing as soon as possible an agreement on the establishment of a council for inter-state cooperation after which negotiations on special relations between the Bosnian Federation and Croatia would continue. (hina) ha jn /mb 061753 MET mar 98