TUDJMAN TO VISIT SLOVENIA WHEN OPEN ISSUES NEAR A SOLUTION

( Editorial: --> 9214 ) BRIJUNI, June 5 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman will visit Slovenia only when Croatia and Slovenia achieve crucial progress in the solution of contestable issues, said Foreign Minister Mate Granic on Friday. At the end of Friday's meeting of representatives of Central European Initiative countries on the northern Adriatic island of Brijuni, Granic held talks with Slovene Foreign Minister Boris Frlec about the open questions in bilateral relations. Following their talks the two ministers told journalists that they are not satisfied with speed of solving these contestable issues. After the foreign ministers' meeting this winter, Croatia and Slovenia expected the solution of open issues which include borders and property to move faster. It had been unofficially announced Tudjman would visit Slovenia in June, on the successful completion of bilateral negotiations. Granic said a new date for the visit would be jointly agreed to when both sides decide the time is appropriate. Frlec said that the two sides would try to accelerate the talks and announced a meeting of the mixed Croatian-Slovene diplomatic commission for borders for June which has not met for a long time. Following that Frlec and Granic would meet again at the end of June. (hina) jn bag/as 051855 MET jun 98