CROATIAN PRIME MINISTER RECEIVES OUTGOING BRITISH AMBASSADOR

ZAGREB, July 14 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa received the outgoing British Ambassador to Croatia, Gavin Hewitt, on Monday. Hewitt told reporters after the talks that the British-Croatian relations had been substantially improved in the last few years. If Britain was sometimes critical of Croatia, that was a positive criticism, he said. Hewitt expressed confidence that Croatia would certainly find its place within the European Union. The outgoing British ambassador was also received by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and Technology, Ivica Kostovic. On that occasion, Hewitt said that Croatia had made a great success in the process of peacefully reintegrating its Danube river region despite very small financial support from the international community. (hina) vm mm 141541 MET jul 97