CRO DIPLOMAT: US FOREIGN POLICY SHOWS CONTINUITY IN TIES WITH CROATIA

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Hina) - The United States' foreign policy will keep the continuity in the relations with Croatia, Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Vesna Cvjetkovic Kurelec said on Thursday. While being on her study tour to the United States, Cvjetkovic Kurelec have held talks with a few US diplomats. At the talks they showed their wish that "Croatia be a forerunner of the democracy and stability in the region, and that Washington expected from Zagreb positive contribution to the political circumstances in Bosnia-Herzegovina. She added that State Department officials expressed regret that Croatian President Stjepan Mesic had to cancel his trip to Washington due to a virosis. He was to meet Secretary of State Collin Powell, attend the national prayer meeting and meet World Bank Director James Wolfensohn. Cvjetkovic Kurelec said those meetings could have contributed to the continuation in the bilateral ties. During her stay in the United States, she met Costa Rican Foreign Minister Robert Lopez Rojas who invited Minister Tonino Picula to visit his country. Costa Rica will host the General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) on 3-5 June this year. Croatia is a permanent observer of OAS. (hina) ms