US AMBASSADOR VISITS CROATIAN HELSINKI COMMITTEE

ZAGREB, March 29 (Hina) - US Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith today visited the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) headquarters in Zagreb, the HHO said in a statement. The talks focused on numerous human-rights problems in Croatia, particularly the problem of the return of refugees and displaced persons. HHO representatives acquainted Ambassador Galbraith with their plans to open regional HHO centres in Knin, Gospic, Karlovac and Osijek to cover the newly-liberated and the still occupied areas. Ambassador Galbraith supported HHO's work. The US administration closely followed the development of human rights in Croatia and considered the respect of these rights as a crucial criterion for shaping the US policy toward Croatia, he said. (hina) mm as 291913 MET mar 96