Bush: Croatia's invitation to join NATO "historic"

(dpa) - The membership invitation NATO extended to Croatia was a "historic moment," United States President George W Bush said Saturday in Zagreb.

After a meeting with Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, Bush also said that Washington would work to ease the visa regime between the US and Croatia to allow Croats easier travel to visit their relatives.

After a brief address to reporters, Bush was due to speak to a small crowd on a central Zagreb square.

Bush ends his two-day visit to Croatia later Saturday and departs for Sochi in Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin.