CROATIA TO RECEIVE MILLION DOLLARS OF MILITARY ASSISTANCE FROM U.S.

WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (Hina) - Monetary indicators of US military assistance to Croatia are not impressive, but will significantly increase. President Bill Clinton had spoken with Croatian President and Prime Minister Stipe Mesic and Ivica Racan at the White House about as US$4 million-worth programme of foreign military financing. Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon gave some information Thursday about the US assistance to the Croatian military so far. In this fiscal year we provide US$40,000 for the part in the NATO Partnership for Peace programme and next year this amount will be increased to US$117,000," Bacon said. The USA is also financing the training of 10 to 20 people from Croatia and the Marshall military training centre, while next year some 30 people will be trained there. Last year the United States have financed with US$425,000 military education and training of Croatian cadets and officers in the US, and this year US$600,000 has been set aside. For the first time this year we have set aside US$108,000 for international military assistance, and this sum will be significantly increased, he asserted. Currently the US assistance is under a million dollars, but it will increase. Do not forget, however, that a year ago, this assistance had been at ground zero, Bacon said. Asked to assess talks of President Mesic and Prime Minister Ivica Racan with Defence Secretary William Cohen, Bacon said they had been encouraging, and confirmed what great progress Croatia had achieved towards democracy. We spoke about assessing Croatia's military capabilities in which American experts are participating, and about how the US can advise the restructuring of the defence ministry and armed forces, Bacon said. Minister Cohen was interested in the steps Croatia was taking with regards to the civilian control of the armed forces, Bacon asserted. (hina) lml