TUDJMAN RECEIVES U.S. AMBASSADOR

( Editorial: --> 6765 ) ZAGREB, Jan 23 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman Friday received U.S. Ambassador to Croatia William Montgomery, who handed him a letter from President Bill Clinton, the Croatian President's Office said in a statement. Commenting on the development of relations between the United States and Croatia to date, Clinton pointed out that since the first exchange of ambassadors in 1993, the two governments had, despite differences in the past, worked on the resolution of many difficult issues to achieve peace and stability in this area. Now that the U.S ambassador has arrived in Zagreb, Clinton wrote, Croatia and the U.S. have many possibilities for developing overall relations and achieving progress in the implementation of the Dayton and Erdut agreements, thanks also to President Tudjman's leadership. Present at today's meeting were also Tudjman's chief of staff Hrvoje Sarinic and Tudjman's advisor for foreign affairs, Neven Madey. (hina) ha 231838 MET jan 98