CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER AND CRO SCIENCE MINISTER MEET IN BEIJING

BEIJING, Oct 8 (Hina) - Croatian Science Minister Ivica Kostovic, who is on a visit to China, met Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen on Wednesday. During the Beijing meeting, Kostovic informed the Chinese Foreign Minister about the Croatian Government's stands on the UNTAES mandate in Croatian Danube river area. He stressed that the Croatian Government had fulfilled all its obligations regarding the peaceful reintegration of the eastern Croatian area under the control of the UN Transitional Administration and those commitments under the Dayton peace accords. Guaranteeing all minorities rights, Croatia expected from the UN Security Council to decide this December that the UNTAES mandate be completed in the mid-January 1998 as planned, Kostovic said. Qian Qichen said that his country had always supported the principle of the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Croatia, and added that these two countries would continue to cooperate within the United Nations. He backed efforts made by Croatia in the process of the peaceful reintegration. Kostovic and Qian said that friendly ties between their countries had been promoted in the past five years since the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Croatia and China. Also on Wednesday, the Croatian-Chinese commission for the scientific and technological cooperation, established on Monday, held its first working meeting to exchange draft projects for possible cooperation. (hina) jn mš 081213 MET oct 97