MESIC PLEASED WITH MESSAGES SANADER RECEIVED IN BRUSSELS

ORAHOVICA, Feb 6 (Hina) - Messages of support for Croatia's admission into the European Union, which Prime Minister Ivo Sanader received in Brussels, are good, President Stjepan Mesic said on Friday during a visit to his home town of Orahovica, eastern Croatia.#L# Mesic was responding to a reporter's question on Sanader's attendance at a European People's Party congress and his talks with the prime ministers of four EU countries. "Now it all depends on us. We must accept European standards and I am sure Europe will recognise that. Through integration, Europe will get all the technology, the know-how and resources for the benefit of small and big nations alike. This is the effort of the millennium and not only does Croatia want to take part, it also wants to be one of the most efficient countries," the president said. Mesic was also asked to comment on the poor business results of shops in January as a result of the ban on work on Sundays and the announcement by employers that they would have to lay off workers. "Consequences of the ban on work on Sundays should have been considered before. One should realise that some people have to work on holidays, but they have to be paid extra for it. We should have passed a law that would have been acceptable to all those concerned, rather than a law that already requires changes," the president said. (Hina) vm