CROATIA, CHINA EXCHANGE DOCUMENTS FOR CONSULAR CONVENTION TO BECOME EF

BECOME EF $ FECTIVE ZAGREB, Oct 9 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader and the Chinese deputy chief of diplomacy, Zhang Deguang, discussed mutual relations in Zagreb on Thursday. Later, they exchanged documents necessary for a consular convention between Croatia and China to come into effect. According to Sanader, he informed Deguang about all the steps the Croatian government has been making to the effect of concluding the peaceful reintegration of the Danube river region of eastern Croatia and the UNTAES mission there by 15 January 1998 as planned. China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has shown us complete understanding, Sanader told reporters after today's talks. Deguang was satisfied with the political relations between China and Croatia. The political relations, he told reporters, were developing successfully because Croatia and China respect each other, consider each other equal and do not interfere with one another's interior affairs. Expressing the Chinese government's gratitude to the Croatian government for its support of China's unification, Deguang said China respects Croatia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. China supports the Croatian government's efforts to bring the Croatian Danube river region back under Croatia's sovereignty, the Chinese deputy chief of diplomacy said. Deguang pointed out China in particular respects the efforts of the Croatian government in building peace and stability in this region and in the establishment of good neighbourly relations with other countries. Both diplomats assessed the development of both economic and trade relations between the two countries as good. (hina) ha jn 091636 MET oct 97