BERLIN, March 11 (Hina) - Germany and Croatia are close partners and will maintain a high level of bilateral ties, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said in Berlin on Thursday after meeting Croatian Prime Minister Ivo
Sanader.
BERLIN, March 11 (Hina) - Germany and Croatia are close partners and
will maintain a high level of bilateral ties, German Foreign Minister
Joschka Fischer said in Berlin on Thursday after meeting Croatian
Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.#L#
The main topics of the Fischer-Sanader talks were bilateral as well as
regional and European issues.
According to Fischer, the two countries are close partners that will
maintain a high level of bilateral relations. The German minister
emphasised that "Croatia has a very, very important role in the
establishment of stability in the region".
Sanader said that his country was ready to set an example for other
countries in the region on their road to the European Union.
"The European Union will not be completed as a project as long as all
countries in our neighbourhood are not its members, and when this will
happen depends on each of them individually," the Croatian Prime
Minister said.
Sanader reiterated that Zagreb had the ambition to obtain a positive
opinion from the European Commission in April, and a decision of the
European Council on Croatia's EU membership application in June.
"To become a bridge of cooperation with the region we need a clear
sign from the EU, and the sign can ensue if Croatia is given the
status of candidate for EU membership and a sign for the start of
negotiations," Sanader said.
Asked by reporters to which extent the voluntary departure of generals
Ivan Cermak and Mladen Markac to The Hague can impact on Croatia's bid
to get the EU candidate status, Sanader said that the two things
should not be linked, and that Croatia should meet three political
criteria for EU membership: cooperation with the Hague-based UN war
crimes tribunal, return of refugees and reform in the judiciary.
Fischer welcomed the voluntary surrender of the two generals to the
tribunal in The Hague, describing their move as a very good signal.
Sanader announced Fisher's visit to Croatia for June.
On Thursday, Croatia's PM also met the head of the Bundestag's EU
committee, Mathias Wissmann, and the leadership of the Konrad Adenauer
foundation.
(Hina) ms sb