The Croatian minister attended a meeting of foreign ministers of the US-Adriatic Charter -- Croatia, Albania and Macedonia -- with the US Undersecretary Nicholas Burns in New York on Friday.
After the meeting, Grabar-Kitarovic told Croatian reporters that the talks had focused on cooperation within the US-Adriatic charter, namely between the three countries - aspirants to NATO membership and their prospects of joining the alliance with an emphasis on their individual achievements and reforms.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Ministers Ilinka Mitreva of Macedonia and Besnik Mustafaj of Albania, besides Grabar-Kitarovic and Burns.
"Prospects for membership remain open. The United States firmly supports NATO's enlargement and in this sense (it supports) Croatia and the other countries-members of the charter," the Croatian official said.
"Croatia has just finished the third cycle of the Membership Action Plan (MAP), and we are entering the fourth one. These efforts are evaluated very positively and Croatia is encouraged to continue meeting all requirements for its NATO membership, including both political and military criteria," Grabar Kitarovic said.
Kurt Volker, an official of the US State of Department, has recently said in Brussels that his country maintains that the next round of NATO's enlargement should not be carried out before 2008 and that Croatia as well as the other two countries - members of the US-Adriatic charter are still not ready for joining the alliance. He has also mentioned Ukraine as a possible candidate that could be in the package with the three countries - aspirants for the membership.
"I have not heard Burns saying anything like that. I must say that no decision has been made pertaining to dates," the Croatian foreign minister told Croatian reporters.
Croatia would like to be invited to join the alliance at its next summit meeting scheduled for 2006.
Minister Grabar-Kitarovic, who will attend the UN General Assembly at a ministerial level as of Saturday, is expected in New York to meet Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary of Great Britain, which is the current chair of the European Union.
She said there were some indications that the UN task force for the evaluation of Croatia's cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal, could be convened in New York at a level of political directors of ministries. She added that she was going to discuss this topic with Straw.