"NATO membership is in the offing. Croatia has done most of the work and I'm confident we will bring the reforms to a successful completion," Sanader told reporters after meeting the US president along with Albanian and Macedonian prime ministers Sali Berisha and Nikola Gruevski.
Sanader said that all three members of the Adriatic Charter -- Albania, Croatia and Macedonia -- had full US support for NATO membership, noting that although membership is decided on each country's individual merits, "it is most likely that a political decision will be made for all three countries to join the alliance together."
"After meeting President Bush, we're a step closer to joining NATO in 2008," the Croatian prime minister said, adding that he took the opportunity to invite the US president to visit Croatia.
Sanader also recalled his successful visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, where Croatia was commended for the progress it had made and given a clear signal that it was on the right track.
Berisha said after the meeting that Bush left Tirana "with words of encouragement and support for all three countries regarding invitations for NATO membership, which may be extended in Bucharest next spring."
"We can conclude that we have a great advocate in the White House. (...) It's good news for the Adriatic Charter countries," Berisha said.
Gruevski said that the meeting with the US president was "further encouragement to complete the process of implementing the required reforms. We can count on the US president's assistance," Gruevski said at a joint press conference after a working lunch in one of the villas of the former Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha.
Asked about ongoing international efforts to settle the status of the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo, Sanader reiterated that Croatia fully supported the plan proposed by UN mediator Martti Ahtisaari.
"We hope the US and the EU find a common position. The Euro-Atlantic partnership is very important here," the Croatian prime minister said, adding that common ground should also be found with Russia.
Sanader said that his government was discussing the Kosovo issue with the EU, and stressed that Croatia found it important that "the EU is developing a common foreign policy so that Croatia could also be part of it."
Berisha said that the US president assured them of his full support for Kosovo's independence "as the only solution."
"He is aware of the consequences should a decision on Kosovo be delayed," the Albanian prime minister said and concluded: "One thing is certain. Kosovo's leadership should not make a unilateral decision. We have witnessed that President Bush has a clear and unequivocal concept of resolving the Kosovo problem."