CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIALS VISIT BUDAPEST

ZAGREB, Dec 10 (Hina) - Aides to the Croatian foreign minister Hido Biscevic and Neven Madey are in Budapest on Tuesday for working consultations with Hungarian foreign ministry officials, the Croatian foreign ministry said in a statement. They met Istvan Szent-Ivany, secretary of state at the Hungarian foreign ministry, for talks on cooperation between the two countries within the Central European Initiative and Croatia's bid to join the activities planned as part of the trilateral cooperation of Hungary, Italy and Slovenia, the statement said. Talks with other Hungarian foreign ministry officials stressed very good bilateral and neighbourly relations and expressed an interest in their further development. The Hungarian side was informed about the progress of peaceful reintegration of UN-administered eastern Croatia and the planned completion of the UN mandate in the region by July 15 next year. Both sides agreed that a consistent implementation of the Dayton peace accords in Bosnia-Herzegovina was necessary. Croatia and Hungary, as two Central European countries, confirmed their interest in entering Euro-Atlantic integration processes. The two sides exchanged views and adjusted positions on the issue of stability in this part of Europe in line with initiatives for regional associations, particularly a regional approach by the European Union and the latest US-proposed South-Eastern Cooperation Initiative (SECI), the statement concluded. (hina) vm 101544 MET dec 96