CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES UN RAPPORTEUR

( Editorial: --> 5084 ) ZAGREB, Aug 21 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic on Friday received the UN Secretary-General's special rapporteur for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Elisabeth Rehn, accompanied by head of the UN civilian police support group in the Croatian Danube River region, Souren Saraydarian. Rehn informed Granic about the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina with an accent on preparations for the general elections in Bosnia- Herzegovina scheduled for September. It is necessary to ensure free movement of all citizens over the whole of the country, Rehn said. Granic told Rehn about his meeting with Yugoslav Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic, stressing the importance of reached agreements for the further stabilisation of the situation in the region, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Rehn expressed interest in a permanent solution to the issue of Prevlaka (Croatia's southernmost sliver of land), and great satisfaction with the reached agreement that dialogue between Croatia and Yugoslavia on this issue begin soon. Rehn and Saraydarian expressed satisfaction abut the successful course of implementation of the Programme for the Return of Displaced Persons and Refugees, and stressed its importance for the overall peace process, the statement said. Saraydarian described as positive the situation in the Croatian Danubian area and announced a further decrease in the number of civilian police by the end of their mandate on October 15. He said UN bodies would provide concrete forms of expert help in the preparation of the conference on the reconstruction and development of Croatia, in whose success the international community is very much interested, the Ministry said. (hina) lml 211724 MET aug 98