U.S. President George W. Bush was warmly welcomed by the government in Croatia on Friday and he praised the ex-Yugoslav country as a trusted ally. But his opponents used the occasion to protest his foreign policies, according to The Associated Press. Bush came to Zagreb from a NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, where Croatia was invited to join the alliance, one of the government's top goals. «We celebrate your invitation to become one of America's closest allies,» Bush said in a toast to President Stipe Mesic. «We're so proud of our relationship,» Bush said. Croatia's government sees Bush's two-day visit as a clear sign that the country, distrusted by Washington and other Western governments during the 1990s because of its nationalism, is now embraced by the West. Bush met Mesic in the evening and the two discussed issues in the region, including Serbia and Kosovo, as well as energy matters and fight against terrorism, White House spokesman Carlton Carroll said. Bush will meet Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and address Croatians from an open square on Saturday before proceeding to Russia. At another square in downtown Zagreb, far from the heavily guarded venues being used for the Bush visit, about 250 people held an anti-war protest, shouting and holding banners, cartoons and slogans.
