"(Croatia's) accession negotiations will not be easy just as the Czech negotiations were not easy, but we are convinced that Croatia has met all preconditions to succeed in that," Paroubek told a joint news conference which he held with Sanader in Prague on Monday.
The Czech PM stressed that the opinion prevailing in the EU and the one he personally advocated was that the destiny of one country should not be tied to the destiny of a general.
Paroubek referred to the case of war crimes fugitive Ante Gotovina, who is wanted by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Paroubek said he trusted Sanader and his cabinet when they said they were trying to track down the runaway general.
According to the Czech official, the opening of the membership talks with Croatia is very important for the entire south-eastern Europe, just as the start of the negotiations with Serbia-Montenegro on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
Paroubek, whose cabinet stresses importance of the further enlargement of the EU to western Balkan countries, announced the intensified diplomatic presence of the Czech Republic in the region.
He also announced his visit to Kosovo, Serbia-Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina for next month.
The two prime ministers also discussed the strengthening of Czech-Croatian economic cooperation and agreed that competent inter-governmental commissions should convene as soon as possible to consider forms for the promotion of economic cooperation.
Paroubek, who assessed that bilateral business relations were developing very well, said that he would officially visit Croatia either in January or February next year. On that occasion, a Czech-Croatian business forum will be organised.
PM Sanader, who arrived in Prague on Monday for a two-day visit, thanked the Czech Republic for having advocated the opening of Croatia's EU membership talks.
He agreed with his host that the opening of the accession talks with Croatia was good news for the entire region.
Sanader welcomed the official opening of the negotiations between the EU and Belgrade on the SAA agreement, and voiced hope that Bosnia-Herzegovina would now embark on the same path after the Serb entity accepted the police reform.
Responding to a question from the press about media speculations that a former Bosnian Croat top official, Ante Jelavic, sentenced to 10 years in prison, would turn himself in to Croatia's authorities, Sanader said that everything he knew about the case he had learnt from the press and that he was expecting information from relevant bodies of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In light of the fact that Jelavic has dual citizenship, Croatia's Justice Ministry will ask information about the case, Sanader added.