I know that members of the Bush administration and Congress are pleased with this development because Croatia can now move forward with its integration efforts, Bob Hand said in an interview with Voice of America.
Despite the fact that some people in Croatia are opposed to the arrest and that they disagree with the Croatian government on this matter, my impression is that the Croatian authorities know that it is the right thing that should have been done much earlier, he said, praising the policy of the government of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.
We believe the Croatian political leaders have the wisdom and capability to use their leadership role to try and show Croatian citizens that the capture of Gotovina was the right thing to do, Hand said.
The US House of Representatives passed a resolution on Wednesday recommending that Croatia be admitted to NATO as soon as possible.
Although the resolution is just an opinion of the House, it represents a political signal that NATO enlargement is still in the interests of the United States and that Croatia would be a good addition to the alliance once it meets the membership criteria, Hand said.