CRO DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER SPEAKS ABOUT ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC R

DIPLOMATIC R $ ELATIONS WITH ISRAEL ZAGREB, Sept 4 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader told Croatian television's Thursday evening news on behalf of the Croatian president and the government he was satisfied with the signing of a protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations between Croatia and Israel. It was a great success of Croatia's policy, Sanader said. It took so long for full diplomatic relations to be established because of a "vast anti-Croatian propaganda, a campaign being led from certain centres", the deputy foreign minister said. However, Sanader pointed out that two months after Croatian was internationally recognized in 1992, Israel recognized Croatia as a newly established state on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Sanader announced that "very soon the two foreign ministers, Granic and Levi, will meet and discuss relations between our two countries." "Contacts of relevant ministries of the two governments should then follow", Sanader said, adding "the best thing will doubtlessly be the visit of President Tudjman to Israel which will take place very soon, we hope by the end of this year, or early next year." "Therefore", the deputy foreign minister concluded, "we expect a very speedy development of overall diplomatic relations." (hina) ha jn 042209 MET sep 97