CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS KNESSET

( Editorial: --> 3377 ) JERUSALEM, May 12 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic, who is heading a Croatian delegation on an official visit to Israel, on Tuesday visited the Israeli Parliament, Knesset, where he held talks with Parliament Speaker Dan Tichon and other parliamentary officials. The Croatian delegation was presented to parliament at the beginning of today's plenary session. "In the Knesset we discussed peace and security in the Near East and problems encountered during the peace process, as well as the situation in our part of Europe," Granic told reporters adding the visit took place in a very friendly atmosphere. Following talks with Tichon, the Croatian delegation attended the beginning of the plenary session. The Parliament Speaker presented the chief of the Croatian diplomacy to parliament and spoke about the development of the Israeli-Croatian relations. He also briefly acquainted the Knesset with Croatia's historical development. I wish the Croatian delegation a lot of success and I believe that this visit will contribute to the development of relations between our two countries, Tichon told the MPs. Describing his talks with Israeli officials, Granic said that Israel wanted to develop its cooperation with Croatia in all areas. After the visit to the Knesset, Granic met a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, Yuri Shtern. This evening Granic will be a special guest at a dinner organised by the General Director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Eytan Bentsur. (hina) rm/mrb 121827 MET may 98