ZAGREB, Feb 17 (Hina) - Croatia will do all it can to meet the EU criteria, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said in Zagreb on Tuesday after talks with the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier
Solana.
ZAGREB, Feb 17 (Hina) - Croatia will do all it can to meet the EU
criteria, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said in Zagreb on Tuesday after
talks with the EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy, Javier Solana.#L#
"Croatia is ready to meet the Copenhagen criteria and the acquis
communautaire, as well as some political criteria - the return of
refugees, the treatment of national minorities, cooperation with the
Hague (war crimes) tribunal, and the reform of the justice system,"
Sanader said.
Solana said he was satisfied with what he had heard, with the prime
minister's approach and his vision. He said that the atmosphere in
Croatia was very constructive, which was very important for relations
with the EU and that one should continue in that direction.
The EU official said that progress had been made after the change of
authority in Croatia and that he would inform his colleagues in the EU
of his impressions.
"I hope very much that the dreams that your country does have will be
realised... The approach to the EU is a very important journey to
Brussels and I have no doubt that that journey is not finished, that
the final station will be Brussels... I cannot tell you now if it is
going to be tomorrow when the train arrives or the day after
tomorrow".
Asked whether Carla del Ponte's opinion would determine the European
Commission's final position on Croatia, Solana said the chief
prosecutor of the UN war crimes tribunal was not a member of the EU.
"The cooperation with the institution she represents is very
important, but she is not going to be in the body that is going to
take the decision about the future of your country in the European
Union," Solana said. However, the EU insists on cooperation with the
Hague tribunal, which is of fundamental importance, he added.
There are some problems in relations between Croatia and the EU, but
they can be overcome through joint efforts, Solana said.
Asked whether those problems referred to the non-extradition of Ante
Gotovina to the UN tribunal, Solana said he did not want to speak
about that in public.
PM Sanader stressed the importance of a positive response of the
European Commission for Croatia, as well as for other countries in the
region.
"We are confident that the project of united Europe cannot be
completed without Croatia and the countries in the region," Sanader
said.
"We are interested in a pro-European future of all countries in our
neighbourhood," Sanader said, adding that Croatia would do all "to
normalise relations and help the EU and the international community to
achieve lasting and political stabilisation of the region".
Asked whether the EU expected Croatia not to sign an agreement on the
non-extradition of US citizens to the International Criminal Court,
Solana said that the EU had not changed its stand, and he could hear
today that the Croatian government had not changed its stand either.
By meeting Sanader, Solana ended his day-long visit to Zagreb.
(Hina) rml sb