SLOCOMBE: U.S. SUPPORTS TRANSPARENCY OF CROATIA-BOSNIA RELATIONS

ZAGREB, March 20 (Hina) - The United States supports the transparency of relations between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH), as well as the resoluteness of Croatia's new government to respect BH's sovereignty, U.S. Deputy Defence Secretary Walter Slocombe said in Zagreb on Monday. Slocombe spoke to the press after talks with Croatian Defence Minister Jozo Rados. Rados said he notified the U.S. official about Croatia's willingness to direct assistance to BH through the Permanent Council for Co-operation between Croatia and Bosnia's Croat-Muslim federation. "A formal agreement on assistance to the Federation of BH is currently being drafted. This assistance has already been reduced, and will be implemented through Bosnia-Herzegovina institutions," said Rados. He and Slocombe also discussed possibilities of further Croatia- U.S. co-operation in the military and defence fields. We already have good relations, but the recent political changes have opened new possibilities of further developing them, said the U.S. official. Rados said he and Slocombe also discussed the steps Croatia had taken in view of approaching Euro-Atlantic security integration. He added he invited U.S. Defence Secretary William Cohen to visit Croatia. (hina) ha jn