CRO VICE PREMIER DISCUSSES PLOCE, NEUM PORTS WITH INT REPS

ZAGREB, Sept 9 (Hina) - Croatian vice premier Ljerka Mintas-Hodak on Tuesday held an introductory meeting with Louis Sell and Dwayne Koch, U.S. representatives of a team of experts taking part in negotiations between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina on the port of Ploce (southern Croatia) and the town of Neum (Bosnia's access to the Adriatic Sea, south of Ploce). Mintas-Hodak acquainted them with agreements on the status of the harbour of Ploce and the passage through Neum reached to date, as well as with steps to follow. We agreed that delegations of Croatia and the BH Federation should be appointed, Mintas-Hodak told reporters after the meeting, adding these delegations could meet next week, and with the assistance of the international community agree on directives for future talks. The international community should, according to the vice premier, have a primarily guiding role, "in order to reach the best solutions", but also assist in an actual and "high-quality implementation of what is agreed on." U.S. expert Sell assessed today's talks with Croatia's vice premier Mintas-Hodak as very good and informative. The implementation of all agreements reached to date, including the Washington and Dayton peace accords, was important, as were efforts to turn temporary agreements into permanent ones, in order for investors to get the needed security for investing in the expansion of the Ploce harbour's capacity. We consider the settling of the Ploce and Neum issues as very important to the benefit of both Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sell said, adding he believed the whole process would soon be over. (hina) ha 092150 MET sep 97