MESIC, MONTGOMERY ON CROATIA'S ADMISSION TO PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE

ZAGREB, May 10 (Hina) - Entering NATO's Partnership for Peace Croatia is entering European integration processes by the front door, Croatian President Stipe Mesic told Hina at the annual lunch of the Croatian Society of Fulbright Fellows at Zagreb's hotel 'Palace' on Wednesday. US Ambassador William Montgomery, who also attended the event, said Croatia's admission to the Partnership for Peace was a major success of the new Croatian government. Croatian representatives will be handed an official invitation for Croatia to join the Partnership for Peace at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels today, Montgomery said, adding he had been informed of this by the US Mission at NATO today. Montgomery said officials at the US Mission told him Croatia would today be officially invited to join the Partnership for Peace, whereas the official signing would take place at NATO's ministerial meeting in Florence on May 25. NATO's decision is an acknowledgement to the Croatian people, Government, and President Stipe Mesic and it opens great opportunities for Croatia's future, Montgomery said. In a special statement to Hina, the US ambassador expressed satisfaction with the decision that Croatia should become the 26th member of the Partnership for Peace. He believed the latest event was a fantastic achievement of the new government, adding he was satisfied that it was happening today, three months after the election of the new government. This proves the support of NATO and the West for changes in Croatia, he added. "I believe this is the first serious step we have made toward achieving our strategic goal - the European Union," President Mesic said. "What remains is the World Trade Organisation and several other steps but it is obvious that Croatia is entering European integration by the front door," he stressed. Asked about the deadline within which Croatia could become a NATO member, US Ambassador Montgomery said it was good one could now start negotiations about that question. Thanks to the measures the Croatian Army has taken regarding its modernisation and progress over the last several years, it is on the right path, he said. The Croatian Society of Fulbright Fellows gathers some 300 Croats who studied in the United States with the help of scholarships from the Fulbright programme. Croatia has been participating in the programme since 1962. About a dozen Croats are currently attending US colleges, whereas ten American Fulbright fellows are studying in Croatia. (hina) mm rml