ZAGREB, Jan 13 (Hina) - Croatian and US state delegations, led by Presidents Franjo Tudjman and Bill Clinton, began a meeting at the airport of Zagreb on Saturday afternoon.
ZAGREB, Jan 13 (Hina) - Croatian and US state delegations, led by
Presidents Franjo Tudjman and Bill Clinton, began a meeting at the
airport of Zagreb on Saturday afternoon. #L#
The Croatian delegation consisted of Premier Zlatko Matesa,
Croatian President's chief of staff Ivo Sanader, Foreign Minister
Mate Granic, a vice premier Ljerka Mintas-Hodak, Defence Minister
Gojko Susak, Interior Minister Ivan Jarnjak, the Croatian Army
headquarters chief-of-staff General Zvonimir Cervenko, the acting
head of the national security office, Miroslav Tudjman, ambassadors
Miomir Zuzul, Janko Vranitzany-Dobrinovic, Petar Sarcevic, and
Tudjman's advisor on home affairs Ivic Pasalic.
The US delegates were the advisor on national security Anthony
Lake, US Ambassador to UN Madelaine Albright, Assistant Secretary
of State Richard Holbrooke, Clinton's special advisor on peace
missions Ambassador Robert Gallucci, the American Agency of the
International Development head Brian Atwood, the US Armed Force
Headquarters chief-of-staff General John Shalikashvili, NATO
Commander for Europe George Joulwan, general in reserve Jacques
Paul Klein, and US Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith.
According to the schedule of the visit, Presidents Tudjman and
Clinton will hold short one-on-one talks after this meeting.
Before the end of the US President's tour to Zagreb, President
Tudjman is to receive US Congress members, who arrived in Croatia
along with Clinton. At the same time, Clinton is due to visit US
troops at the air base of Pleso. The delegation of Congress
consisted of Senators Claiborn Pell, Joseph Biden, Patrick Leahy,
John Garry, Bob Kerrey and Charles Robb and Congressmen Benjamin
Gilman, Lee Hamilton, David Obey, Robert Livingston and John
Murtha.
Expressing warm welcome to US President Clinton at the airport
President Tudjman said "I am extremely happy to greet, on the
behalf of Zagreb citizens and entire Croatia, President of USA, a
world power and a great friend of Croatia. Long may President
Clinton live and long may friendship between USA and Croatia
live!".
Responding to the warm welcome Clinton said he had come "to
thank President Tudjman and the people of Croatia and men from
Croatia who are offering support to peace and the peace process."
He said that he had come not only to back the peace process but
also the Moslem-Croatian Federation. Clinton added that he
supported the peace agreement which will enable Croatia's eastern
Slavonia to be peacefully reintegrated and which will enable
Croatia to promote partnership not only with USA but also with
other Western countries that believe in freedom, human rights,
democracy, peace, progress and joint action.
131929 MET jan 96