CROATIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS AUSTRIA

ZAGREB, Feb 10 (Hina) - A Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader, on Monday paid a one-day official visit to Austria, the Croatian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schuessel received the Croatian official. According to the statement, Schuessel described as very positive the Croatian Government's Letter of Intent to the U.N. Security Council, and stressed that Austria was fully supporting the Croatian Government's efforts to implement the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area. He confirmed that Croatia, as a central European country, enjoyed the support of Austria to enter the EuroAtlantic integration processes soon. Negotiations between Croatia and the European Union should be held individually, on a bilateral basis, and as soon as possible the PHARE programme should be activated in projects in Croatia. Austria would back Croatia in this field. The Austrian official stressed that it was not real to create some new associations in the area of the former Yugoslavia, the statement said. During the visit Sanader met another officials of the Austrian Foreign Ministry. The Austrian officials showed great interest in enlarging investment into the Croatian economy, of which they spoke highly. The talks considered the situation in the wide region, and the Croatian side expressed its interest in establishing stability in the neighbourhood, according to the statement. (hina) mm mš 101917 MET feb 97