ZAGREB/BRUSSELS, March 16 (Hina) - The European Parliament's rapporteur on Croatia, Socialist MP Alexandros Baltas of Greece, called on the European Council on Tuesday to set the start of negotiations on Croatia's European Union
membership as soon as possible.
ZAGREB/BRUSSELS, March 16 (Hina) - The European Parliament's rapporteur
on Croatia, Socialist MP Alexandros Baltas of Greece, called on the
European Council on Tuesday to set the start of negotiations on
Croatia's European Union membership as soon as possible.#L#
Speaking to the press before a session of the European Parliament's
Foreign Affairs Committee, Baltas said Croatia had already met the
Copenhagen Criteria and that even though there remained some open
issues in cooperation with the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, it
was time to start the negotiations.
The Foreign Affairs Committee today considered draft recommendations
on Croatia's EU membership application in the second reading and is
expected to vote on them tomorrow, before giving them to the European
Parliament for adoption at a plenary session later this month or early
in April.
Baltas voiced hope the European Council, which comprises the EU
members' presidents or prime ministers, would adopt the draft
recommendations and Croatia's application and launch the membership
negotiations.
The chair of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with
South Eastern Europe, Doris Pack, said the draft applauded Croatia for
what it had achieved and recommended continuing with the efforts.
She voiced hope the European Commission would approve Croatia's
application, and said the European Council should take into
consideration what had been done in recent years and what the new
Croatian government had done in recent months.
Pack urged Great Britain and the Netherlands to complete the
ratification of Croatia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement
(SAA) with the EU as soon as possible, and called on France to help
arrest Croatian General Ante Gotovina, who has a French passport and
is wanted by the Hague tribunal.
She said the recent voluntary surrender of Croatian generals Ivan
Cermak and Mladen Markac was the best proof of Croatia's cooperation
with the tribunal.
Philippe Morillon, a member of the European Parliament from France and
former commander of U.N. troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina, proposed
adopting a verbal amendment which would applaud Croatia's cooperation
with the Hague tribunal.
Joost Ostlander of the Netherlands said Baltas' draft recommendations
reflected the quality of the rule of law in Croatia and indicated that
Croatia's prospects of joining the EU were very good.
Fifty-five amendments were submitted during today's 10-minute debate
on Croatia of which not one questioned Croatia's membership
application. They focus on three areas -- cooperation with the Hague
tribunal, the proclamation of a fishing and economic zone in the
Adriatic Sea, and cooperation with neighbours. One amendment urges
those EU nations which have not ratified the SAA to do so as soon as
possible.
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