CROATIAN, YUGOSLAV DELEGATIONS TALK ABOUT LOCAL BORDER TRAFFIC

BEOGRAD, Aug 8 (Hina) - Delegations of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on Friday continued talks in Belgrade on adjusting the text of an agreement on local border traffic. The Croatian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Hidajet Biscevic and Assistant Interior Minister Josko Moric, while heading the Yugoslav delegation were Assistant Interior Minister Milan Puzovic and Ambassador Radomir Bogdanovic. The talks focused on the size of the area to which the agreement would apply, and in this respect, the Croatian proposal that the criterion be the municipalities in the Danube region of eastern Croatia and the Vojvodina region of western Yugoslavia was accepted. The agreement would, in line with this and the principle of reciprocity, apply to municipalities along the state borders. The two parties could however not agree on which habitations should be included in this area, but agreed that the interest concerning a certain number of local border villages was mutual, especially as regarded the rights of the Croatian and Serb communities. For Croatia it is important that the agreement on local border traffic be part of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region. Standpoints on villages of special importance will continue to be adjusted in Zagreb next week, at what is expected to be the last round of talks before the agreement is signed. Croatia's Biscevic today also held talks with Yugoslav Assistant Foreign Minister Dragomir Vucicevic. They pointed out it was necessary to continue with the implementation of the agreement on the normalization of relations the two countries signed last summer, and said they expected the next talks on the final adjustment of the agreement on local border traffic would enable the foreign ministers of the two countries to sign all six agreements. (hina) ha 082131 MET aug 97