The Croatian President held talks with representatives of the only Croat political party in Montenegro - the Croat Civil Initiative - the Croat Civil Association and the Umbrella Organisation of Croats in Montenegro, who informed Mesic of their problems
The president of the Croat Civil Initiative, party that has one representative in the Montenegrin Parliament Marija Vucinovic, said that a new constitution was being drafted and that Croats expect to receive the minority status with at least one seat in the Montenegrin Parliament.
There are about 7,000 Croats living in Montenegro, making up once percent of the country's population.
After the conference, Mesic told reporters that the prize "Statesman - Humanist of the 20th Century", awarded to him by the Sarajevo-based nongovernmental organisation International League of Humanists (ILH), would be presented to him in either Zagreb or Sarajevo.
Responding to questions by Montenegrin reporters who wondered why he had not attended the award ceremony in Budva, Mesic said he had previously talksed to IHL representatives, adding that they agreed that the awards would be presented to him in either Zagreb or Sarajevo.
He said he did not attend yesterday's ceremony because of his other engagements, adding that his non-arrival had nothing to do with a protest against the award also being presented to Montenegrin politicians Milo Djukanovic and Svetozar Marovic.
Djukanovic received a recognition for his contribution to the democratic process of Montenegro's gaining independence, while Marovic was declared an honorary ambassador of peace.
Recognitions to the two politicians stirred polemic discussions in Montenegro. A group of intellectuals, university professors, writers, journalists and some NGOs protested against the awards to Djukanovic and Marovic because of their responsibility for events during the 1990s wars in the former Yugoslavia.