CROATIAN PRESIDENT VISITS CROATIAN PAPAL INSTITUTE OF ST JEROME

ROME, Nov 6 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic on Monday visited the Croatian Papal Institute of Saint Jerome in Rome, where he met with the Institute's chancellor Msgr Jure Bogdan. The two sides discussed the economic situation in Croatia, the reconstruction of Vukovar and the upcoming summit in Zagreb. Mesic said he had recently had a phone conversation with the president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, who promised he would not come empty-handed to Zagreb. Prodi also explained there was no need to fear the establishment of a new, third Yugoslavia, because no one in the world would want that, Mesic said. Mesic underlined the poor economic situation as Croatia's gravest problem. "The trend of unemployment has still not been stopped," he said, adding it was necessary to draw up a strategy of economic growth. Following a reception for statesmen attending the Jubilee 2000 in Rome yesterday, Mesic held a meeting with Rome Mayor Francesco Rutelli, a candidate of the coalition of the left centre in the upcoming parliamentary election in Italy, Dobroslav Silobrcic, charge d'affaires at the Croatian Embassy in the Vatican, told reporters. (hina) rml