MESIC RECEIVES CROATIAN OFFICERS CORPS' REPRESENTATIVES

ZAGREB, May 18 (Hina) - Croatia's President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Stjepan Mesic, on Thursday received a delegation of the Croatian Officer Corps. Mesic's advisor for defence and military issues, Imra Agotic, told reporter the President listened to them very attentively while they informed him of their problems. Mesic also gave support to solutions of material issues. The Officer Corps head, retired General Velibor Kikerec, said Croatia would soon get the status of a guest in CIOR - the association that gathers reserve officers of NATO member-states. The head of the Croatian officer Corps' international cooperation commission, Reserve Brigadier Tomislav Jantol, said Croatia's admission into the Partnership for Peace Programme helped expand the Corps' activities. Jantol added that all European security organisations foresaw a very important role of such societies in the democratic control over armies in the formation of defence policies. He announced that this Corps, supported strongly by the official Croatian politics, could take part in such mechanisms and become a respected member of European security associations. (hina) jn ms