"When we realise that we are all equal before the law, the issue of that fugitive retired general, who is pointed at as the main obstacle to the start of our (entry) negotiations with the EU, will definitely be solved in many people's heads," Mesic said.
The conference, also attended by the chief of the European Commission Delegation in Croatia, Jacques Wunenburger, and assistance education and foreign ministers, was held as part of Europe Week in the southern Adriatic city.
Mesic said Croatia's future was inseparable from the EU. "The European Union is a club with its rules which we must adopt in order to become its members."
"That's why we must give up many things... and cast off the burden of the past. We must realise that this giving up is a step forward and that it won't make us less Croat than we are now," said the president.
"We aren't victims of an international conspiracy but simply have to fulfil certain criteria. In many aspects we are ready, whereas in others we are still far (from being ready)... Although the rule of law is being enforced and the law is no longer applied selectively as in the first decade of Croatia's (independence), we must still get rid of the philosophy that some are more equal before the law than others," Mesic said, mentioning the case of the runaway general Ante Gotovina, who is wanted by the Hague war crimes tribunal.
The president underlined the need for regional cooperation "also with those we were recently in war with, because Europe expects the normalisation of relations from us. We must also shatter prejudices and resist the notorious lies we are being bombarded with by the Eurosceptics, who are posing the false dilemma, EU or Croatia... The real dilemma
is Croatia in the EU or isolated".
Mesic concluded by saying there could be only one way for Croatia, the one which led to a united Europe. He said this could be seen in the significant economic progress the 10 countries which joined the EU a year ago generated since admission. "It's a millennial endeavour which only this generation can carry through."
Wunenburger recalled the history of the EU, stressing that it was not important whether Croatia's entry negotiations would be launched in June or during the year, because good preparation was much more important that speed.
He said the negotiations had not been launched yet because of a small yet very important political issue which Croatia had not solved yet. He added it was much more important for Croatia to continue implementing European laws so as to be as best prepared for the negotiations as possible.