"We have in mind the clearly formulated conditions for the start of the talks. We hope that they will be fulfilled, that what needs to be done between Croatia and the Hague tribunal will be accomplished and that the negotiating process will begin," Cimoszewicz told reporters in Zagreb on Tuesday after meeting his host, Croatian Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks.
"I hope Croatia will meet all the conditions or that it will convince its friends and partners in the EU that it is unable to meet them for objective reasons, but that it has undertaken all in its power to do it," Seks said in answer to the question by a Polish reporter on whether Croatia would meet all the conditions by March 17 to open the membership talks.
Seks said that Poland continued supporting Croatia, but "with the friendly advice that Croatia should take all the necessary steps to remove the existing reservations concerning the start of the talks".
Cimoszewicz said he hoped that "the evaluation of Croatian cooperation will be positive in the end, although the opinion of the European enlargement commissioner and that of the tribunal's chief prosecutor are not in Croatia's favour at the moment".
"Those are the facts and one should not be surprised. I hope the evaluation of Croatian cooperation will be positive in the end," he added.
Asked whether it was enough for Croatia to show the European Commission it had done its utmost to locate the fugitive general Ante Gotovina, the Sejm speaker said: "The European Council did not give any specific names in its December decision, but only said that the conditions set before Croatia should be met, and that is cooperation with the tribunal in The Hague."
Cimoszewicz acquainted his host with Poland's experience since it became a member of the bloc in May last year, saying that it was very positive.