SPECULATION ABOUT VISA REGIME FOR CROATIANS NOT TRUE - BRITISH EMBASSY

ZAGREB, Sept 9 (Hina) - The British Embassy in Croatia on Thursday dismissed claims in the Croatian media saying Great Britain was considering introducing visa requirements for Croatian citizens in two weeks. "This is not true. No decision has been taken on a visa regime for Croatia", the Embassy said in a statement, describing the claims as speculation. Zeljko Trkanjec, spokesman for the Croatian Foreign Ministry, who was quoted by the media, on Wednesday said Great Britain could introduce a visa regime for Croatian citizens within two weeks in order to protect itself from an increased number of Croatian Serbs and Gypsies who had arrived in Great Britain in the past several months seeking asylum. "We continue to believe that visa regimes should be introduced only as a last resort", the Embassy said. It also denied that there was a Foreign and Commonwealth Office team in Zagreb looking at premises for a visa office. "There have been several consultations between the UK and the Government of Croatia both here and in London over the issue of Croatian asylum seekers. We keep all countries from which we receive significant numbers of asylum seekers under constant review. A team will visit Zagreb shortly", the statement read. The Embassy also dismissed claims that there were currently or had ever been British immigration officials stationed at Zagreb airport. (hina) jn rml