Commenting on the announcement by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso that there would be no further enlargement before the reform of EU institutions, Sanader said, when asked if Croatia would be the first country to be left out of Europe despite the fact that its economy was better than the economies of some EU members, that he did not believe in such a possibility.
"I met Barroso in Helsinki a few days ago and he confirmed to me that he was not referring to Croatia. He told me that Croatia would be 28th. The reform of EU institutions can run simultaneously with our negotiations - both could be completed by 2008. Should EU reforms come to a halt, there is another possibility - amending the Nice accord. We will not be left out," Sanader said, adding that he believed Croatia would join the EU in 2009.
All opinion polls in Europe are favourable for Croatia, which enjoys majority support both at the level of the EU and in individual countries, Sanader said.
In the introduction to the interview the paper recalls that two weeks ago the two countries had settled the contentious issue of "a ban for Italian nationals to buy real estate in Croatia" which had "poisoned" relations between Rome and Zagreb.
The interviewer quotes Sanader as saying that the issue of Italian houses in Croatia has been settled and that he would prefer this issue not to be discussed anymore, and describes his Italian as "perfect".