CROATIA TO BUILD MONUMENT TO VICTIMS OF U.S. PLANE CRASH

WASHINGTON, April 11 (Hina) - Croatia will build a monument on St John hill above the southern coastal town of Dubrovnik to the victims of a US plane crash, Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa said on Thursday. US Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown and 34 other passengers, including two Croatian citizens, died when their plane hit the hill in stormy weather last Wednesday. "Secretary Brown deserves special credit. His efforts to encourage American investments in Croatia and Bosnia were invaluable," Matesa told a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington. "Croatia has decided to erect a monument on St John hill where Secretary Brown's plane crashed," Matesa said. Croatia believes that the efforts of three US diplomats, Robert Frasure, Joseph Kruzel and Nelson Drew, who died on their way to Sarajevo last August, should also be remembered, he added. Matesa said that Croatia, the United States and Bosnia could ensure a lasting peace in the region. "I believe that prospects for peace and stability in our region are excellent," he said. (hina) vm mm 111827 MET apr 96