NEW YORK NEW YORK, Nov 11 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and Foreign Minister Tonino Picula, who are on a visit to the United States, described their first day in New York, which had a busy schedule, as very successful.
Mesic said on Saturday evening his half-an-hour talks with US President George Bush were the most important event of the day for Croatia's delegation. Although they talked mostly about a global anti-terrorist coalition and Croatia's possible participation in it, President Bush also confirmed the USA would continue its presence and engagement in South-East Europe and continue to be the biggest foreign investor in Croatia, as well as that it supported Zagreb's efforts to meet the standards required for admission to the European Union and NATO. During an official lunch, organised for the heads of state and government participating in the 56th annual session of the UN General Assembly b
NEW YORK, Nov 11 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and
Foreign Minister Tonino Picula, who are on a visit to the United
States, described their first day in New York, which had a busy
schedule, as very successful.
Mesic said on Saturday evening his half-an-hour talks with US
President George Bush were the most important event of the day for
Croatia's delegation. Although they talked mostly about a global
anti-terrorist coalition and Croatia's possible participation in
it, President Bush also confirmed the USA would continue its
presence and engagement in South-East Europe and continue to be the
biggest foreign investor in Croatia, as well as that it supported
Zagreb's efforts to meet the standards required for admission to
the European Union and NATO.
During an official lunch, organised for the heads of state and
government participating in the 56th annual session of the UN
General Assembly by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Mesic
extended an invitation to President Bush to visit Croatia. During
the lunch, the Croatian president was sharing the same table with
Secretary-General Annan, President Bush, Mexican President
Vincente Fox, Pakistani President Perwaz Musharraf and several
other high guests. Mesic extended the same invitation to President
Musharraf.
President Mesic and Albanian President Rexhep Meidani confirmed
during a meeting their countries were interested in continuing and
improving cooperation in all areas, and expressed hope the upcoming
Kosovo election would be another step towards regulating the
province's status and relations within Yugoslavia.
Yesterday's meeting with Bosnian Prime Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija
was part of efforts to facilitate the conclusion of several
agreements. The two sides agreed that the Croatian-Bosnian
cooperation council should meet by the end of the year.
Foreign Minister Tonino Picula met his Algerian counterpart
Abdelaziz Belhadem. The two sides expressed a wish to renew the
business cooperation between Croatian and Algerian companies.
Croatia expects the current Algerian government to solve the issue
of compensation to the families of 13 workers of the Zagreb-based
Hidroelektra company, killed by Islamic extremists at a
construction site in Algiers eight years ago. Picula hopes the site
of their murder will be properly marked.
Picula also held a meeting with Austria's Foreign Minister Benita
Ferrero Waldner as part of regular consultations with Croatia's
neighbour-countries.
Mesic and Picula held a brief meeting with Slovene President Milan
Kucan and Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel. During the meeting, the
two sides confirmed a high Slovene delegation would visit Zagreb on
December 5.
Croatia's delegation, headed by President Mesic, yesterday visited
the site of the World Trade Center buildings, destroyed in the
September 11 terrorist attack.
The Croatian president handed the New York city authorities the
Grand Charter of the Republic of Croatia as an expression of
solidarity and sympathy of the Croatian people with the victims of
the terrorist attack.
(hina) rml