CROATIAN AND U.S. OFFICIALS HOLD OPEN TALKS - MINISTER GRANIC

SPLIT, Aug 6 (Hina) - Croatian and American officials held open talks on overall relations between the two countries, including recent financial pressure on Croatia, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic said on Wednesday in Split. Croatian President Franjo Tudjman met U.S. President Bill Clinton's special envoy for implementation of the Dayton agreement, Robert Gelbard, and a creator of the Dayton deal, Richard Holbrooke. Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa, Presidential Chief-of-Staff Hrvoje Sarinic and Minister Granic participated in this meeting as well. Granic described the talks as open and meaningful. He said to reporters that everybody had presented clearly their views on overall ties between the United States and Croatia. He said that the talks revolved round the relations between the two countries and U.S. financial pressure on Croatia. He added that Tudjman and U.S. officials discussed the cooperation with the International War Crimes Tribunal and the completion of peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube river area. Commenting on the results of the meeting, Granic said that the two parties harmonised numerous issues. "We believe that today's meeting and messages of Gelbard and Holbrooke will be a step forward in Croatian-U.S. relations," Granic added. He told reporters that the two U.S. diplomats described as very positive recent meetings of Croatian Defence Minister Gojko Susak with U.S. Defence Secretary William Cohen and Gelbard. (hina) jn mš 062051 MET aug 97