CROATIAN PRESIDENT MEETS ITALIAN COUNTERPART IN ROME

ROME, Feb 18 (Hina) - Croatia attaches great importance to its bilateral relations with Italy and their joint efforts aimed at resolving problems in the implementation of a peace agreement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman told reporters in Rome on Sunday after meeting his Italian counterpart, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro. Tudjman invited Scalfaro to visit Croatia, which he accepted with pleasure. Commenting on a two-day summit in Rome on the implementation of the US-sponsored peace agreement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Tudjman said that certain obstacles to the implementation of the Dayton acoords would be removed. "We have been faced with attempts by some circles to compromise the Dayton accords and the purpose of the Rome talks is to prevent such attempts so that the process of implementing the peace agreement can continue," Tudjman said. He said that an agreement in principle was reached with Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic that efforts should be made to resolve not only the problem of Mostar but overall relations in the Croat-Moslem federation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Speaking of his talks with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, Tudjman said that they agreed that "the process of normalizing relations between the two countries should be stepped up." The Rome summit will close on Sunday afternoon with a joint press conference by Italian Foreign Minister Susanna Agnelli, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, high representative in charge of civilian aspects of the Bosnian peace agreement Carl Bildt, and political directors of the foreign ministries of France, Britain and Germany. (hina) vm 181511 MET feb 96