CROATIA: DUBROVNIK: US COMMERCE SECRETARY RON BROWN REMEMBERED

(3 Apr 1997) English/Nat

Exactly one year ago U-S Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and 34-members of a U-S trade delegation died in a plane crash near Dubrovnik in Croatia.

In the city, many remember Ron Brown and the hope his mission brought.

Relatives of some of the victims visited the seaside resort to attend the opening of a memorial gallery at the heart of the medieval Croatian city.

As the band played, people gathered on the square at the heart of the picturesque Croatian city of Dubrovnik.

Croatia's Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa, U-S Ambassador Peter Galbraith and relatives of some of the victims joined the crowd.

They came to attend a service commemorating the death of U-S Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown who was killed in a plane crash near Dubrovnik last year.

Brown's plane was two miles (three kilometres) off course when it crashed into a mountainside during a thunderstorm.

An Air Force general and a colonel were reprimanded following the crash.

It was the first post war trade mission and for many in Dubrovnik, the visit of the American delegation was a symbol of hope and peace.

The American ambassador said the dedication of a building in the centre of the city as a memorial gallery was a sign of how much Brown's mission had meant.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Secretary Brown and his party were on a trade mission, but it wasn't a mission just about business."
SUPER CAPTION: Peter Galbraith, U-S ambassador to Croatia

Galbraith said Brown's mission had been part of the push towards peace in the region.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"It was a mission about translating the peace that was on paper signed in Dayton and the separate one that was signed in Erduk into reality on the ground"
SUPER CAPTION: Peter Galbraith, U-S ambassador to Croatia

The Mayor of Dubrovnik unveiled a plaque in memory of Ron Brown outside the cultural centre.

Croatia's Prime Minister, Zlatko Matesa, said a cornerstone of the Dayton peace agreement, including the Brown mission, was economic development and prosperity for all.

Matesa also said the trade mission was perceived as part of the overall efforts of the U- S government and President Clinton in the Balkans.

Dubrovnik - classified as an historical monument by UNESCO - suffered much damage during the war.

After the crash, the city's council decided to dedicate the new cultural centre to the man who had faith in the economic prosperity of Dubrovnik.

A priest blessed the building before relatives of the victims entered the centre.

The Ron Brown Memorial building hosts a permanent exhibition of three Croatian artists and will be promoting other young artists.

The memorial will also take an active part in the organisation of the Dubrovnik summer Festival and the cultural events around it.

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