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NEWS: DAILY BULLETIN

     MILITARY AGREEMENT OF CROATIA WITH BULGARIA AND TURKEY
Zagreb,  Ankara, June 20, 1996 (Press TWRA) - Croatia  and  Turkey
signed agreement on military cooperation. During the two-day visit
of Croatia's top delegation to Turkey, the agreements on cultural,
scientific-technical and tourist cooperation are expected.
      In  the  joint  statement, presidents Tudjman  and  Suleyman
Demirel pointed out excellent relations of the two states,"helping
the  peace  in  all  region". Besides the talks  between  the  two
statesmen  alone,  two delegations also met. Croatia's  delegation
includes  Mate  Granic  (foreign and vice prime  minister),  Gojko
Susak  (defence  minister), gen. Zvonimir Crvenko  (Croatian  army
chief  of  staff),  ambassador to Turkey  Ivica  Tomic,  Tudjman's
foreign  policy  advisor Zeljko Matic and deputy foreign  minister
(ex-ambassador to Ankara) Hidajet Biscevic. Biscevic is of Bosnian
origin,  a  Croat  of  Islamic religion (but atheist),  successful
journalist  in 80ies, author of a few books about the Middle  East
(e.g.  "In  the Name of Allah", the impressions of Iran after  the
1979 revolution), interviews with radical PLO leaders whose secret
bases  were  accessible to him, editor-in-chief of the "Vjesnik  "
daily  for  a  short time, has become the third  man  in  Croatian
diplomacy  hierarchy (after Granic and Ivan  Simovic)  mainly   in
charge of relations with Islamic states. In a number of his public
speeches,  Hido  Biscevic blamed Bosnian authorities  for  Islamic
fundamentalism and unfair relation towards Croatia and Croats in B-
H.
      Before he left for Ankara, Croatia's president Tudjman  said
at  the Zagreb airport Pleso: "Friendship with Turkey is important
to us because of our relation with B-H. Turkey actually represents
a  power in international relations, it is a state with 65 million
of  people  playing  an important part in today's  world."  Before
visit  to  Turkey,  Croatia's defence  minister  Susak  signed  an
agreement  on military cooperation with his Bulgarian  counterpart
D.  Pavlov  saying  it was not secret that Zagreb  wanted  to  buy
Fagot,  anti-armored missiles and might produce  them  cooperating
with  Bulgarians. Pavlov said the agreement helped in security  of
southeast  Europe. Such agreements are easier to make for  Croatia
since  this  week's lifting the UN arms embargo on  ex-Yugoslavia,
which  have no vital importance of e.g. a military pact. Yet,  the
backers  of  such relation with Croatia are the circles  in  Sofia
which  regard  Serbia as the least close neighbour  accepting  the
axis  with  Macedonia,  Turkey,  Albania,  Italy,  EU,  USA.   The
opponent  lobby  is  for close relations with Macedonia,  Romania,
FRY, Greece and Russia.
      On the arrival to Turkey yesterday, Tudjman laid wreaths and
recorded himself in e book of impressions at the mausoleum of  the
founder  of modern, secular Turkey, Mustafa Kemal-pasha  Ata-Turk.
Visit to Ataturk's grave is a part of obligatory protocol for  all
foreign  delegations.The fact caused a slight  uneasiness  at  the
visit of B-H president Izetbegovic to Turkey-Izetbegovic is not  a
great  supporter of Ataturk except for his credit  in  defence  of
Turkey from Greek-Anglo-French-Armenian forces, his name is linked
to  high illiteracy among the Turks (he abolished the existing and
introduced Latin alphabet at that time)  enforcing the measures to
"europeanize" Turkey (obligatory hat, ban on covering  for  women,
killings  the imams..) Yet, disarray about importance  of  Ataturk
has  no impact on good relations of Sarajevo and Ankara, confirmed
lately  when Demirel and Izetbegovic visited Mostar and agreed  on
the  joint  reconstruction of the Old bridge  and  the  town  city
(Croatia  which  showed interest in Turkish-Croatian  project,  is
excluded  as  in 1993 its heavy artillery destroyed  it).  Tudjman
several  times  stressed Ataturk as positive  "Europe  -orientated
example"  that should be a model for B-H Muslims." As the opposite
example,  Tudjman alleges "fundamentalist influences" alluding  to
Iran  with which Zagreb has good political and economic relations:
some  media claim that Iran, besides B-H, reinforced Croatian army
with  modern  equipment. During the stay Croatian  president  will
visit  Efes and some other sites in Turkey, mainly related to  the
Classical Greek period (Helenism) (end) A.S.

     ITALIAN DIPLOMAT ON PROSPECTS OF BOSNIA

Rome,  June  20,  1996 (Press TWRA) - Under-secretary  in  Italian
Foreign  Ministry Pierro Fassino told: "Only time  and  change  of
generations  might  help in overcoming distrust  among  the  sides
waging the war in Bosnia. " (end) A.S.

     PARTICIPATION OF CROATIA AND FRY AT THE OLYMPICS UNCERTAIN

Zagreb,  June 20, 1996 (Press TWRA) - "After winning the  European
Football Championship  in England, we will play against the USA in
the  Basketball Tournament finals of the forthcoming  Olympics  in
Atlanta.  So,  we do not prepare for  likely non-participation  of
Croatia at the Olympics", answered Croatian prime minister  Zlatko
Matesa  to the question of the IDS delegate in Croatian parliament
Damir Kain. In his question Kain referred to the president of ICTY
A. Cassese's statement.
     A. Cassese announced a likely demand of ICTY to IOC to boycot
Croatia  and FRY as those states refused to extradite the indicted
war   criminals.  (Belgrade  refuses  to  hand  over  Mrksic   and
Sljivancanin,   Radic  and  suspect  Serb  criminals   from   B-H,
particularly Karadzic and Mladic; Zagreb acts in the same  way  in
case  of  suspect Croat criminals from B-H, specially Ivica  Rajic
and  Darijo Kordic). The boycott would mean ban on sport  national
teams of Croatia and FRY to participate at the Olympics in the USA
this   year,  as  Croatia  could  not  take  part  at  the  sports
competitions  during  the  sanctions imposed  against  Serbia  and
Montenegro. (1992-94).
      After  recent  talk with Croatian foreign  minister  Granic,
Cassese said: "Official view of the Zagreb government is: 'We have
adopted  the  constitutional changes enabling extradition  of  the
indicted  war criminals, but we regret that five of  them  are  in
"Herzeg  Bosnia", outside Croatia's territory'. We do  not  regard
such  explanation as convincing enough." Cassese has already  said
that  such  arguments of Zagreb are not valid regarding  both  the
impact  that  Croatian government has in "Herzeg Bosnia"  and  the
fact  that  some of the indicted including Darijo Kordic  stay  in
Croatia,   either  secretly  or  on  occasional  visits.   Similar
situation is with Ivica Rajic as reported in Croatian papers.  "We
read   all  the  papers  and  also  use  other  sources   to   get
information," says Cassese. He expressed regret that his  idea  to
boycott  FRY at the Florence meeting  was not supported,  in  case
that  state  continued to provide shelter and support to  its  own
criminals  and those from Serb entity in B-H. It is not enough  to
accuse  some politicians and prevent them from candidating at  the
elections,  claims  Cassese adding: "Karadzic will  not  candidate
himself  but  will propose his followers, back them  and  continue
with his so far policy through them."
      Ban on participation for Yugoslav teams at the 1992 Olympics
in Barcelona were criticized not only by Belgrade but also by some
international  dignitaries like the IOC  president,  a  Catalonian
Juan Antonio Samaranch who holds that political reasons should not
limit  the  right for participation at the Olympics. President  of
HOO (Croatian Olympic Committee) Antun Vrdoljak, a close associate
of  F.Tudjman and Croatian government,  had a similar view backing
participation of the athletes from Yugoslavia at the international
competitions.  Vrdoljak  was occasionaly  criticized  by  Croatian
opposition  as inappropriate for such a high Olympic duty for  his
racist  statements (e.g. "I know our guys who want to be  football
players,  actors, artists, basketball players, but  none  of  them
would like to be a Negro" - that he issued in a discussion on  the
US Basketball Professional NBA league with mainly black basketball
players. (end) A.S.
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