PRESIDENT MESIC ATTENDS SESSION OF DUBROVNIK CITY COUNCIL

DUBROVNIK, Feb 2(Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Monday attended a formal session of the Dubrovnik City Council which marked the city's day and the day of its patron saint St. Blaise. The session was held at the "Marin Drzic" theatre.#L# President Mesic recalled the glorious past of the city and the Dubrovnik Republic, which he said were the guideposts of democracy in the region. Thanks to its successful diplomatic community and economy, Dubrovnik was the cultural centre of the Mediterranean. Dubrovnik saw its most difficult days "during the Serbian-Montenegrin aggression, when it was in isolation for 392 days, without water and electricity, its surroundings under occupation and systematically destroyed, and the city heavily shelled". Dubrovnik must not be isolated, it must strongly contribute to Croatia's development and progress, Mesic said. Speaking about the city government's plans and projects, Mayor Dubravka Suica said that Dubrovnik was returning to the circle of the most attractive tourist destinations, which she said was confirmed with the awards it had received last year. City awards were presented at the session of the City Council, which declared Pope John Paul II an honorary citizen of Dubrovnik. (Hina) rml sb