"It is obvious that Carla del Ponte will not be pleased with Croatia's behaviour until it resolves the case of General Gotovina one way or another," Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Ivica Racan said in a written statement in Zagreb.
Racan said he believed that Croatia "will receive a complete and balanced evaluation of its cooperation with the European Union from the European Commission, and we should wait for it".
The SDP leader said that the government should refrain from making any announcements regarding the start of EU membership talks, because "if nothing comes of it, it will only frustrate the Croatian public". "Whenever the negotiations may start, it will be good," he added.
Earlier on Thursday, Del Ponte urged Croatia to step up its efforts to locate and arrest fugitive general Ante Gotovina, saying that the start of EU accession talks would have a negative effect on those efforts. Her remarks indicated that she would tell the European Union in her forthcoming report that Croatia was not yet fully cooperating with the Hague tribunal.