CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ASSESSES BONN CONFERENCE AS POSITIVE

( Editorial: --> 7412 ) BONN, Dec 10 (Hina) - Croatia is satisfied with the results of the Peace Implementation Council for Bosnia-Herzegovina conference and supports the larger authority given to the international High Representative for Bosnia, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said in Bonn on Wednesday. "We positively assess this conference and its final document," Granic told reporters at the end of the two-day PIC conference which was held in Petersberg near the German capital. The Croatian Foreign Minister said that following this conference Croatia's position had been strengthened. He said Croatia was given support for the ending of the UN Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) mandate in January 1998, with extra support for Croatia given by transitional administrator William Walker and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata. International High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Carlos Westendorp in his concluding remarks mentioned the position of Croats in Bosnia would be one of his priorities, Granic said. On Wednesday morning Granic met Bosnian Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic. After the meeting, Granic said the two ministers "highly coordinated" the agreement for forming an inter-state council of cooperation between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and were expecting the initialling of that agreement in the soonest possible time. Following an assessment in the final document that the Croatian proposal for special relations between Croatia and the Moslem- Croat Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina was not in keeping with the Dayton agreement, Granic said the Council, however, did not bring into question the agreement as such. Granic also said the Croatian delegation at the Bonn conference raised the question of why up to now no one had been charged with war crimes committed against Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Hina) jn mb 102001 MET dec 97