Addressing the discussion held in the Croatian Parliament, Sanader said that Croatia had shown which course should be taken to achieve the values shared by Europe and the world, adding that those values had taken root in practice and enjoyed a broad consensus in Croatian society.
He said that in terms of minority protection Croatia was one step ahead of its neighbours and that it wanted to make a positive influence on them to apply the same standards.
"National minorities must not be seen as a threat, but as a chance that every society should seize," Sanader said, announcing that an agreement on the protection of minority rights was expected to be signed with Montenegro this year.
Sanader also welcomed the formation of a pro-European government in Serbia, saying that Belgrade would have Croatian support in Euro-Atlantic integration processes.
OSCE Mission chief Jorge Fuentes said that measures for the employment of minorities in state administration were contributing to the development and protection of minority rights, promoting respect for and trust in state institutions, and encouraging the return of refugees to their prewar homes and the restitution of their property.
Fuentes expressed hope that a series of round-table discussions the OSCE had organised or would organise on this subject would help bring the process of state administration reform to a successful completion.
Antun Palaric, State Secretary of the Central State Administration Office, said that Article 22 of the Constitutional Law on Minority Rights, which guarantees minorities equal representation in state administration bodies, fully applied in the employment of minorities in state administration.
"There are no reservations about the employment of national minorities in Croatia," Palaric said, stressing the need for encouraging members of minorities to declare their ethnic background.
Palaric said that in some state administration offices over-representation of minorities had been achieved considering their share in the population of a given area, and added that a new plan for employment in state administration would pay special attention to consideration the employment of minorities.
Justice Minister Ana Lovrin said that out of 7,740 civil servants working in judicial bodies, 295 identified themselves as minority members. She also said that this year's plan provides for the employment of 42 minority members.
The Ministry of the Interior also complies with the Constitutional Law on the Protection of National Minorities, with Interior Minister Ivica Kirin saying that 1,219 out of 24,975 ministry staff are minority members.