PRIME MINISTER PROMISES ASSISTANCE TO CROAT MINORITY IN HUNGARY

BUDAPEST, May 23 (Hina) - The Croatian Government will assist as much as it can in promoting the position and maintaining the identity of the Croatian minority in Hungary, Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said in Budapest after a meeting with representatives of Hungarian Croats on Monday. "The Croatian Government will do as much as it can to help sustain the identity of the Croat minority in Hungary because we believe that the globalisation process is not in contrast to maintaining national identity," Racan said. He is visiting Hungary with a Croatian delegation. Racan spoke with the leadership of the Croatian National Self- Government, a central organisation of Croats in Hungary, about the current situation of Croatians in this country and their requests for a cultural autonomy, seats at the Hungarian parliament and the Croatian Government's strategy towards Croats living in other countries as an indigenous ethnic minority. Racan announced concrete steps for the next several months such as the establishment of a special institution which will deal with the position and problems of Croats in emigration, along with the Centre of Croat Emigrants. In comparison to the Centre, the institution would not deal with Croatian emigration which had been formed through economic and political migrations, but the indigenous Croat minority living outside of Croatia. (hina) lml mm