EU GIVES GO-AHEAD FOR TALKS WITH CROATIA ON COOPERATION ACCORD

LUXEMBOURG, April 11 (Hina) - The EU Ministerial Council yesterday urged the European Commission to begin talks with the Croatian government on a cooperation accord, Croatian television said last night. The Council agreed to the start of negotiations aimed at reaching a cooperation accord with Croatia, a statement from the Ministerial Council meeting said. But the Council can review this decision at any moment, even at the conclusion of the accord, taking into account Croatia's attitude towards the implementation of UN resolutions and the peace process. EU ministers recommended that Croatia be admitted to the PHARE program and expressed satisfaction with a Security Council resolution on the continuation of UN presence in Croatia. The Council called for a rapprochement between the Croatian and Serb communities in Croatia and called on all states that emerged after the breakup of the old Yugoslav federation to recognize one another within existing, internationally acknowledged borders. The Council expressed willingness to continue to support the Croat-Moslem federation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and demanded that Serbia and Montenegro grant more autonomy to their provinces, primarily to Kosovo with predominant ethnic Albanian population. (hina) vm 111125 MET apr 95