BRUSSELS, Feb 4(Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has expressed satisfaction with the fact that the European People's Party (EPP) will adopt a resolution fully supporting Croatia on its road to the European Union at a
congress in Brussels.
BRUSSELS, Feb 4(Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has
expressed satisfaction with the fact that the European People's Party
(EPP) will adopt a resolution fully supporting Croatia on its road to
the European Union at a congress in Brussels.#L#
"We have succeeded in lobbying for the adoption of a resolution on
Croatia at the EPP congress," Sanader told Croatian reporters in
Brussels, where he is attending the congress in his capacity as leader
of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party.
The two-day event began on Wednesday, pooling more than 700 envoys,
including prime and deputy prime ministers, European commissioners,
and leaders of Christian democratic, conservative and people's
parties. Representing the HDZ, alongside Sanader, are Croatia's
Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul and Culture Minister Bozo Biskupic.
In the draft resolution on Croatia, which will be voted on tomorrow,
the EPP calls on the European Commission and the heads of state from
EPP ranks to set up a strategy for Croatia's EU admission as soon as
possible. The document underlines that Croatia's EU entry is very
important for the preservation and advancement of stability in the
region.
Under the draft, participants in the congress should applaud the new
Croatian government's agreement with ethnic minorities' parties,
particularly what is described as the historic deal between PM Sanader
and Croatian Serb leader Vojislav Stanimirovic on the return of
refugees and restitution of property, which led to the Serb minority's
support to the new government.
The draft resolution applauds the government's priorities --
intensified relations with the EU and NATO, resumption of reforms so
as to meet the Copenhagen Criteria, and full cooperation with the war
crimes tribunal in The Hague.
Sanader announced that tomorrow he would hold bilateral meetings with
his counterparts. Asked if at those meetings he would announce a new
strategy towards the Hague tribunal, he said he would reiterate that
Croatia was willing to fully cooperate with the tribunal and would
prove so with deeds.
According to announcements, six EU prime ministers will attend the
congress on Thursday -- Spain's Jose Maria Aznar, the Netherlands'
Jan-Peter Balkenende, Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, Portugal's Jose
Manuel Durao Barroso, Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker, and France's
Jean-Pierre Raffarin.
(Hina) ha