After the talks which focused on the relations between Croatia and Israel and the restitution of Jewish property in Croatia, the Croatian Ambassador to the United States, Neven Jurica, described the talks as "very meaningful and open".
Jurica told Croatian reporters that Mesic's meeting with American Jewish representatives was a step forward in efforts to further promote relations between Israel and Croatia.
President Mesic's special advisor, Budimir Loncar, said that the two sides had agreed at the meeting that "the relations between Israel and Croatia are today very stable, reaching a stage of full cooperation, openness and even friendship".
Mesic and the Jewish representatives also discussed possibilities for the restitution of Jewish property which had been confiscated by the Nazi-style regime of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) from 1941 to 1945.
Ambassador Jurica said that he believed that possibilities for the settlement of this issue were open adding that the talks revolved around a general framework for solutions.
According to the Croatian diplomat, the Jewish representatives said that this issue was not only financial and material but also a moral one. Jurica said that Croatia shared that position, too.
On Tuesday evening, Mesic will attend a reception which the US President George w. Bush is giving for heads of state or government taking part in the ongoing UN summit in New York.