CROATIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY, U.S. COMPANY SIGN AGREEMENT LONG-RANGE MANAGEMENT

MANAGEMENT ZAGREB, Dec 10 (Hina) - The Croatian Ministry of Defence and the US company Military Professional Resources Incorporated (MPRI) on Tuesday signed an agreement on the continuation of cooperation on a Long-Range Management Programme. The project is part of the process of democratic transformation and its aim is to achieve necessary standards for entry into NATO, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. The Defence Ministry is not waiting to be formally admitted to NATO's Partnership for Peace programme but is making fast progress on all important issues that are addressed by the Partnership for Peace and NATO. All the changes are very complex because successful strategic management requires new knowledge and new expertise that Croatia has not had so far, the statement added. Now that Croatia has entered a period of peace, the Defence Ministry attaches great importance to long-term strategic planning as part of a strategy for managing the factors which determine the military and security position of the Republic of Croatia, the statement concluded. (hina) vm mm 101447 MET dec 96