JOINT WORKING GROUPS FORMED TO BOOST CROATIA-U.S. RELATIONS

( Editorial: --> 1573 ) ZAGREB, Sept 19 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic on Saturday received United States Ambassador to Croatia William Montgomery to discuss current relations between the two countries. The meeting agreed to establish two joint high-level Croatian- American working groups: one for the implementation of the Dayton peace accord and another for Croatia's inclusion in NATO's Partnership for Peace programme, said a Croatian Foreign Ministry statement. Croatian President Franjo Tudjman has named his country's members of the groups, while the American side will soon name its representatives. Both sides expressed a belief that the establishment of the joint working groups indicated a strengthening in relations between Croatia and the US, and confirmed the readiness of both countries to jointly work on resolving important security-political issues in this part of Europe. During the talks both sides exchanged their views on the course and first results of last weekend's general elections in Bosnia- Herzegovina, and on the agreement on Bosnia's use of the Croatian port of Ploce and Croatia's free passage through Neum, a Bosnian coastal town separating the Dubrovnik area from the rest of Croatia, and the special relations agreement between Croatia and the Federation of BH. Granic informed Montgomery of his forthcoming official visit to New York, where he will head a Croatian delegation to the 53rd session of the United Nations General Assembly. Also present at today's talks were Assistant Foreign Minister Vladimir Drobnjak and Josip Paro. (Hina) mbr 191500 MET sep 98