"This has been an exceptionally good meeting at which we have discussed the implementation of (the Croatian government's) action plan, and Secretary Straw described Petrac's arrest as a positive move," the Croatian minister told reporters after her 30-minute meeting with the British official.
On Friday Grabar Kitarovic took part in a working dinner of the EU foreign ministers.
On the margins of the meeting, which started on Thursday, Grabar Kitarovic held talks with foreign ministers, Ben Bot of the Netherlands, Per Stig Moeller of Denmark, Dimitrij Rupel of Slovenia and Ursula Plassnik of Austria.
She informed them of what Croatia had done in the implementation of the action plan which the Croatian government launched this April with the aim of tracking down fugitive general Ante Gotovina, who is wanted by the UN war crimes tribunal.
The Croatian minister said that she was leaving Newport more optimistic than she had been when she had arrived in that Welsh city.
"Everybody has welcomed the arrest of Hrvoje Petrac, as an important element of the action plan," she said.
"My impression is that there has been a positive shift in their position and that they can see that progress in the implementation of the action plan is real. Croatia's progress has been recognised and the country will resolutely continue with its implementation," the Croatian minister said.
She expressed hope that the EU task force in charge of evaluation of Croatia's cooperation with the UN tribunal would positively assess Zagreb's progress at its meeting scheduled for this month, and that this would make it possible for Croatia to begin membership talks as soon as possible.
The Austrian minister Plassnik shared this optimism. She told reporters that she could see a change in the mood in favour of Croatia.