CROATIA, YUGOSLAVIA END NEGOTIATIONS ON SOCIAL WELFARE

BELGRADE, June 12 (Hina) - After three-day talks, delegations of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on Thursday coordinated the draft of a convention between the two countries on the protection of the citizens' rights to pension, health, disability and unemployment insurance. The agreement will come into effect after verification by the two countries' governments and ratification by Croatian and Yugoslav legislatures. The two delegations were headed by Croatian Deputy Health and Social Welfare Minister Vera Babic and Yugoslav Assistant Labour, Health and Social Policy Minister Maksim Korac. After the negotiations, both parties told reporters they were satisfied with the achieved agreement in solving the "package" of social issues between the two countries. According to Croatia's Babic, this was a "good and significant step towards a complete realization of the normalization agreement between the two countries". Korac agreed, adding the agreement was a "modern, European convention founded on these standards." Today's agreement also envisaged pension settlement and other social benefits to a citizen of one country residing in the other country, Babic concluded. (hina) ha 121611 MET jun 97