in the fall of 2003)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both
courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the
Republic, which is elected by the House of Representatives

Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Croatian Coast and Mountains
Department or PGS [Luciano SUSANJ]; Croatian Christian Democratic Union
or HKDU [Marko VESELICA]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo SANADER];
Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Dobroslav PARAGA]; Croatian Peasant Party
or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC];
Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Drazen BUDISA]; Croatian True
Revival Party or HIP [Miroslav TUDJMAN]; Independent Democratic Serb
Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or
IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LP [leader NA]; Social Democratic
Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN] note: the Social Democratic Party
or SDP and the Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS formed a coalition
as did the HSS, HNS, LP, and IDS, which together defeated the Croatian
Democratic Union or HDZ in the 2000 lower house parliamentary election;
the IDS subsequently left the governing coalition in June 2001 over its
inability to win greater autonomy for Istria

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD,
ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ivan GRDESIC FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936 consulate(s) general: Chicago,
Los Angeles, New York telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899 chancery: 2343
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Lawrence G. ROSSIN embassy: Andrije Hebranga 2, 10000 Zagreb mailing
address: use street address telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200 FAX: [385]
(1) 661-2373

Flag description: red, white, and blue horizontal bands with Croatian
coat of arms (red and white checkered)

Economy Croatia

Economy - overview: Before the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Republic
of Croatia, after Slovenia, was the most prosperous and industrialized
area, with a per capita output perhaps one-third above the Yugoslav
aver