CROATIAN VICE PREMIER MINTAS-HODAK MEETS BELGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

FOREIGN MINISTER $ ZAGREB, July 30 (Hina) - A Croatian Vice Premier, Ljerka Mintas-Hodak, held talks with Belgian Foreign Minister Erik Derycke in Zagreb on Wednesday. Their talks revolved round economic and social aspects of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube river area and round the issue of human rights. After the talks, Mrs. Mintas-Hodak said that the speed of the process of peaceful reintegration of the Danube river area, would depend also "on financial support that is necessary for the economic revival and reconstruction of the area." "In this sense the international community has not done what it has been expected to do and to which it has itself committed," she added. Derycke agreed that the financial assistance was necessary for economic development and reconstruction. Mintas-Hodak and Derycke also considered the issue of human rights. "We have cited systematic measures of the Croatian policy, which are being taken in the field of human rights, and pointed to frequently unfair stand of the international community in the presentation of the human rights situation in Croatia, as individual cases are often given priority, whereas positive steps forward are either neglected or shown in an unbalanced manner," the Croatian official explained. There were positive achievements in the field of human rights, but I maintained that it was important to present them better to the public, the Belgian Foreign Minister added. (hina) mm mš 301630 MET jul 97