SERBIAN AND CROATIAN INTELLECTUALS HOLD A ROUND-TABLE MEETING

ZAGREB, Nov 22 (Hina) - Erasmus Guild, a publisher of the independent political magazine "Erasmus", organized a round-table meeting of 40 independent intellectuals, 14 from Belgrade, 23 from Zagreb and 3 from other Croatian towns, in Zagreb on November 20-22. The intellectuals attended the meeting as citizens in a bid to reduce room for disagreement and misunderstanding in direct talks, said a press release handed out at a press conference in the Mimara Museum in Zagreb on Monday evening. The discussion focused on economy, culture and political strategies. The participants in the meeting supported all initiatives so far presented which were aimed at reaching cease- fire agreements and resuming or starting negotiations on urgent opening of roads and other communications, said the press release. Agreement was reached that the round-table meeting between Serbs and Croats should develop into a permanent Citizens' Forum. Erasmus Guild will soon organize a round-table meeting of Moslems and Croats. The aim of the Citizens' Forum is to help the peoples of what used to be Yugoslavia to face a new reality and new relations, in which they will gradually build neighbourly relations on new grounds, said the press release. The meeting was financially supported by the US non-government and non-profit organization National Endowment for Democracy and by foundation International Research Exchange. 222216 MET nov 93