CROATIAN PRIME MINISTER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TOUR PLANE CRASH SITE

ZAGREB/DUBROVNIK, April 4 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa on Thursday described his impressions from a tour of the site of a US plane crash near Dubrovnik as "horrific". Matesa was quoted by Croatian television as saying at the crash site that he and US Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith had seen for themselves that rescue teams had done all they could in efforts to save human lives. "This tragedy has shaken both Croatian and American people," Matesa said. He commended Croatian Army troops, police, Dubrovnik fire brigade and other people who, together with IFOR troops, had spent the night in a remote area searching for dead bodies and possible survivors. The prime minister said that Croatian government teams were cooperating with US missions in efforts to find out the cause of the accident. Galbraith offered condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of 31 US and two Croatian passengers who had been aboard the US Air Force plane. Galbraith described the cooperation between the NATO-led Implemenation Force (IFOR) in Bosnia, the US and the Croatian government as extraordinary. As soon as the plane disappeared from radar screens, the Croatian prime minister ordered a search and rescue opereation. More than a hundred members of special Croatian police and army forces were at the crash site within an hour from the moment the plane was located Wednesday evening. IFOR also joined the search and was now assisting the Croatian government, Galbraith said. (hina) vm jn 041752 MET apr 96