CRO PRESIDENT MESIC AND NATO SECRETARY GENERAL HOLD TALKS

ZAGREB, March 16 (Hina) - The election of the new Croatian Government and Stipe Mesic as the president was one of the biggest signals that people of Croatia could have given that they were turning a new page and turning their back on extremism, NATO Secretary General George Robertson said after talks with Croatian President Stipe Mesic on Thursday. "The election of a new government in Croatia was itself a big bonus for Europe, the election of Stipe Mesic as the President of Croatia was one of the biggest signals that people of Croatia could have given that they were turning a new page, turning their back on extremism...", Robertson told reporters. Robertson congratulated Mesic on his courage which he showed while a member of the Opposition and wished him luck in the future, adding that wherever President Mesic "goes in the world he will be the personification of the new Croatia that is now welcome in the main stream of Europe again". "Croatia is definitely opening a new page of its history, the European page. We are putting an end to every isolation and are doing everything to realise European standards and criteria in order to realise our strategic goal, namely joining the European Union and NATO", Mesic said. (hina) it jn