CROATIAN AMERICANS LOBBY FOR CROATIA'S INTERESTS

WASHINGTON, April 22 (Hina) - Croatian Americans started an annual political event known as "Croatian Days on the Hill" in Washington on Sunday to lobby for the interests of their native country. The gathering was organized by the Croatian-American Society. Besides talks with White House and State Department officials, Croatian Americans are planning to meet about 60 Congressmen and their aides in the next few days to seek greater US involvement in the reintegration of Eastern Slavonia and the Prevlaka peninsula into Croatia. The event was opened by the president of the Croatian-American Lobby, Frank Brozovic, who recalled the Lobby's previous campaigns, including a 1991 march of 40,000 Croatian Americans and Canadians on the Capitol Hill and a petition to the US government for recognizing Croatia's independence, which had been signed by about 100,000 people. A project for bringing together Croatian communities round the world on the Internet was presented. (hina) vm jn 221059 MET apr 96