CROATIA IS STRENGTHENING ITS INTERNATIONAL POSITION - GRANIC

ZAGREB, March 24 (Hina) - Croatia is seen more and more as a central European, not a Balkan country, and the consolidation of its European positions will primarily depend on the successful completion of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area, as well as on the support of the peace process in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic told reporters on Monday. Speaking about the present international position of Croatia and especially about the results of his recent tour during which he visited Great Britain, Germany, Poland and Austria, Minister Granic told reporters that he felt "a softening in the European Union's regional approach" towards Croatia and Croatia was more and more viewed as a central European, not a Balkan country. "We expect it to take a gradual course … and decisions will be co- ordinated with our overall cooperation, especially with the successful completion of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area," Granic said. "We have to have patience with regard to this, but not give up on any strategic interest, nor rush hastily into any kind of compromise". Granic stressed that the present goal of Croatia's foreign politics was its positioning into central Europe, reaching a cooperation agreement with the European Union, entering the World Trade Organization and NATO's Partnership for Peace. Croatia also severely opposed its placement into south-eastern Europe or the Balkans to which it did not belong historically, geographically, politically, economically nor culturally, Granic said. He added that Croatia wanted to develop good neighbourly relations with all countries in the region, but that it did not want to be held hostage by the insecure situation which reigned in that part of Europe, especially in some countries such as Albania or Bulgaria. "The opinion that talks with Croatia should be held on an individual basis is prevailing in the EU more and more, and I think that our resistance with so powerful arguments is being heard louder and louder," Granic said. During Granic's recent visit to Bonn, German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel spoke about a "friendly partnership" as a new phase in the relations between Croatia and Germany. "This means that Germany accepts our positioning of Croatia and Minister Kinkel is expected to support it within the framework of the European Union," Granic said. In London, Granic saw clear signs of yielding of the recently principal advocate of the regional approach to Croatia, Great Britain. In Warsaw, Croatia received a pledge that Poland, as the first country of the Central European Initiative, would sign a free trade zone agreement with Croatia. Granic held that, in order to avoid being trapped into a regional approach and to achieve an individual approach, Croatia had to fulfil certain expectations of EU countries. The European Union especially of Croatia, and the international community in general expect the successful completion of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danubian area, enabling of the return of Serbs to Croatia, cooperation with the International Crimes Tribunal in The Hague and full support to the peace process in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Granic stressed that Croatia guaranteed the fulfilment of all these expectations. According to him, Croatia, UNHCR and FR Yugoslavia had information which corresponded, that only 9.1 percent of Serbs who had left Croatia had asked to return so far. Croatia agreed to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), but it also had objections to the work of the Tribunal, Granic said. Among other questions, Croatia wonders why has not the trial of Tihomir Blaskic started after nine months of waiting, why only three men have been accused of war crimes in the aggression on Croatia and why nobody has been accused so far for war crimes against Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Croatia was being accused for taking part in the conflict between peoples in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as Granic put it, and was not being allowed access to documents based on which Croatia was being accused. Croatia also rejected, as a legal possibility, the summons for high- ranking state officials, Granic said. Croatia invited the president of the Tribunal in The Hague, Antonio Cassese, to visit Zagreb. Granic said that Croatia and Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina strongly supported the Bosnian Federation as a basis of the relations between Bosniacs-Moslems and Croats and as a basis of the Dayton Bosnia-Herzegovina. Granic stressed that Bosnia had been defined in Dayton as a country consisting of two entities and three constituent peoples. Croatia's support to the Bosnian Federation was widely visible, Granic said, especially the removal of extremists and certain criminal elements. Saying that relations between Italy and Croatia were excellent, Granic stressed the importance of the recent signing of the agreement on mutual protection of minorities between the two countries. The issue of the Optant property has been resolved by the Rome and Osim agreements, the revision of which Croatia "does not want to discuss at all". Croatia suggests to fulfil the commitments of compensation for property of a total of US$ 35 million, envisaged by these agreements, half in money and half in stocks. Croatia protested against the reopening of the issue of "foibas", and held that it only obstructed the good relations between the two countries, Granic concluded. (hina) lm jn 242044 MET mar 97