BURNS COMMENTS ON U.S.-CROATIAN RELATIONS

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Hina) - The US administration said on Friday it had a good relationship with Croatia although it had some objections. We have a good, active relationship with the Croatian government, State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns told a press conference in Washington. Burns said that US officials had raised the issue of freedom of the media in Croatia in recent talks with Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic. We believe that our message was heard in Zagreb. We hope that Croatian authorities will do what they have to improve their attitude towards the media, he said. Commenting on an idea to build a common memorial to all World War Two victims in Croatia, Burns said that his government believed that a lot of attention should be paid to preserve the memory of those who had perished in World War Two and particularly in the Holocaust. If the Croats want to recognize the suffering of others, they have to do it separately. That would be a logical approach, he said. Burns said that Croatia had taken important steps to meet human rights commitments arising from the US-sponsored Dayton peace agreement. Burns also pointed out the importance of Croatia for stability and peace in the Balkans. (hina) vm 172313 MET may 96