DUBROVNIK MARKS 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH OF US OFFICIAL RON BROWN

DUBROVNIK, April 3 (Hina) - On the third anniversary of the tragic death of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Ronald Brown, and members of an American economic delegation, a commemoration was held in the memorial house of Ronald Brown in Dubrovnik on Saturday. There years ago the U.S. officials lost their lives in a plane crash on the Velja hill near the airport of Dubrovnik while travelling from Bosnia to this Croatian coastal town. Present at the commemoration, organised by the city of Dubrovnik, were representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Croatia, local authorities and representatives of Dubrovnik Airport. Addressing the solemn gathering, Mayor of Dubrovnik, Vido Bogdanovic, said Dubrovnik was planning to establish the Ron Brown foundation. A representative of the U.S. Embassy, Chuck Aanensen, who is the director of the agency for the international development, agreed with the proposal and added that the mission of the late American secretary of commerce could be continued in that way. A commemorative service in memory of the dead U.S. officials is to be held in the church of St. Nicholas in Cilipi, outside Dubrovnik, on Saturday evening. (hina) ms