PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MESIC MEETS SEAMEN'S REPRESENTATIVES

RIJEKA, Feb 1 (Hina) - Presidential candidate Stipe Mesic on Tuesday visited the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka where he discussed the situation in Croatian maritime affairs with the leadership of Losinj Navigation shipping company and union representatives. Croatian Seamen's Union vice president Predrag Brazzoduro expressed hope Croatia's new authorities would pay much more attention to maritime affairs than past authorities. Losinj Navigation head of administration Marinko Dumanic pointed out Croatia's shipping companies would reach an impasse unless systematic measures of assistance to maritime affairs were immediately passed. According to Mesic, Croatia's economic difficulties are the result of the fact that former authorities, instead of drawing up a development strategy, wasted time on isolating the country from Europe and the world. The economy has been almost completely destroyed by poor government, he asserted. The only way out of the crisis is integration with European and world institutions, Mesic said, adding access to NATO would guarantee security, while access to the European Union state-of- the-art technology. Modern Croatia should serve its residents, and the state budget be progress-oriented, Mesic said, pointing out all three levels of authority should cooperate, while at the same time being one another's corrective factor. Asked to comment on Croatian Democratic Union vice president Ivica Pasalic's statement that he would support Mesic at the February 7 presidential run-off because it would be best for the formerly ruling party, Mesic wondered if there was anybody in Croatia who would want Pasalic's support. He said he only advocated that Pasalic and his accomplices render accounts for what they had done. (hina) ha