CROATIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES E.U. DELEGATION - STATEMENT

ZAGREB, June 7 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Friday received a European Union delegation led by European Commission President Jacques Santer and the Italian Foreign Minister and Chairman of the EU Council of Ministers, Lamberto Dini, the President's Office said in a statement. Thanking the President and Croatia for their contstructive role in the peace process, Dini said that the purpose of their visit was to assess the progress of implementing the Dayton peace accords, particulurly the possibility of holding elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dini said that the European Union and the Contact Group took the view that the conduct of elections was crucial for establishing legal authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A date of the elections would be set by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), he added. Dini said he was encouraged by reports from Mostar because the further mission of the EU administrator in the city would depend on how the elections were conducted. Santer said that EU economic aid would depend on future relations with the countries in the region because the EU was interested in stability and cooperation with all countries that emerged after the breakup of former Yugoslavia. Tudjman said that Croatia would persevere with the consistent implementation of the Washington and Dayton agreement, and particularly with the conduct of elections because in that way Bosnian Serb leader Karadzic, military commander Mladic and other people responsible for aggression would be removed from power. We must be aware that there are those who wish to review the Dayton agreement and we must not allow such attempts to prevail and succeed, the President said. The Republic of Croatia cannot agree with a Balkan regional approach because historically, culturally and politically it does not belong to the Balkans, Tudjman said. Croatia is part of Central Europe and the Mediterranean and wants to join CEFTA and other Central European regional institutions because only that way can it play a positive role in resolving the crisis, he added. Strengthening the Bosnian Federation and linking it with Europe via Croatia is in the interest not only of Croatia but also of Europe and the world, and in order to achieve that goal greater cooperation and determination of the international community is necessary, the President said. The Republic of Croatia favours normalization of relations between the countries that emerged after the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, but tying Croatia to the Balkan region would not contribute to the stability, Tudjman said. Dini said that as an Italian he knew that Croatia had always been linked to the West. He added that he would convey President Tudjman's views of the unacceptability of the Balkan regional approach at a EU ministerial meeting on Monday. Also present at the talks were Croatia's Foreign Minister Mate Granic, Presidential Chief of Staff Ivo Sanader, Presidential Foreign Policy Adviser Zeljko Matic, Ambassador to the EU Zoran Jasic, and Head of the President's Cabinet Gordan Radin, the statement concluded. (hina) vm 071935 MET jun 96