CROATIA'S STANDING IN RELATION TO NATO BETTER THAN BEFORE

ZAGREB, June 18 (Hina) - Croatia's standing in relation to NATO is better than it was several months ago, and the United States set several conditions in order to accelerate the process of approaching the organisation, Croatian President's advisor for interior policy Igor Dekanic said upon his return from the United States Sunday. The conditions are not new, namely further serious democratisation of political life with a consensus of all national forces at the Croatian political scene about all crucial issues, said Dekanic who was in an official visit to the United States as a member of a delegation of the Croatian Sabor's interior policy committee headed by committee's president Djurdja Adlesic. The delegation also included Viktor Broz of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), Antun Markov of the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), Ivan Penic of the Croatian democratic Union (HDZ) and Ivan Stajduhar of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). US President's Advisor for the Southeast Europe Christopher Hill informed the Croatian delegation of the United States standpoint toward Croatia's standing in relation to NATO. Dekanic stressed the United States sought further improvement in economy and the political system, particularly regarding the struggle against corruption. He said this would make Croatia a safe country and attractive to foreign investors. Adlesic stressed this was the first visit of a Croatian Sabor's delegation to the United States Congress' Committee. She added that apart from Hill, members of the Croatian delegation held talks with representatives of almost all senior federal agencies for national security, the president and members of the committee for supervising intelligence affairs in the Congress, as well as representatives of United States Croats. (Hina) it