CROATIAN AMERICANS MEET SPECIAL US ENVOY FOR DAYTON AGREEMENT

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Hina) - A delegation of the National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA) met special US envoy for implementation of the Dayton agreement, James Dobbins, and his associates, in Washington on Friday. The meeting was organised on the occasion of parliamentary and presidential elections in Croatia, for which Dobbins said they represented a turning point for the whole region. The Croatian authorities deserve to be commended for the successful organisation and implementation of the elections in a democratic atmosphere, he added. Steve Rukavina, president of the NFCA, which is one of umbrella- organisations of American Croats, and other members of the delegation wanted to know how the United States and western countries intended to help Croatia in the future. Dobbins announced that the help Croatia had been receiving so far would be doubled to 25 million dollars. An expert group from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is expected to visit Croatia in order to assess the situation. The NFCA delegation informed Dobbins about their plans to organise the Days of Croatia in early March and invited him to the event, which he accepted in principle. The NFCA this year plans to acquaint Congress members about democratic changes in Croatia and its economic needs. Rukavina and the president of the Croatian Fraternal Community, Bernard Luketich, will soon visit Zagreb and meet members of the new government. (hina) rml