BERLIN, Feb 18 (Hina) - Slovenia's Foreign Minister and Chairman of theOrganisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), DimitrijRupel, said at a meeting with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischerin Berlin on Friday that
the European Union should open membershiptalks with Croatia as soon as possible.
BERLIN, Feb 18 (Hina) - Slovenia's Foreign Minister and Chairman of
the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Dimitrij Rupel,
said at a meeting with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in Berlin on
Friday that the European Union should open membership talks with Croatia as
soon as possible."Slovenia wants Croatia to join the EU as soon as possible," Rupel said,
adding that once admitted to the EU, Croatia would have to respect the same
rules, criteria and standards as Slovenia.
Rupel and Fischer agreed that Croatia deserved to start the entry talks
as soon as possible, but that there were still some outstanding issues
regarding Zagreb's cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal.