New York, March 28 - Croatian Prime Minister Dr. Ivo Sanader is in the United States to attend the ceremony on March 29 celebrating the admission of seven new member-countries to NATO. He is due to meet U.S. President George W. Bush and senior US officials.
At a meeting with Croatian-Americans in the Croatian parish of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Prime Minister Sanader said that the same credit should go to Croats living abroad for the establishment of independent Croatia as to those living in Croatia.
Speaking of the return of Croatian expatriates to their homeland, Sanader said that his government wanted to ensure democratic stability and create such economic conditions to make Croatian emigrants see "that it is good to return to Croatia". He stressed that his government wanted to create a secure environment for investment in Croatia.
Prime Minister Sanader said his government would try to remove bureaucratic obstacles to Croatians living abroad investing in Croatia and facilitate procedures by setting up an agency where all necessary permits could be obtained.
The prime minister said that a political decision had been made to introduce postal ballot to make it easier for Croatian expatriates to vote in elections in Croatia.