WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON SECURITY IN W. BALKANS WASHINGTON, March 30 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul said in Washington on Monday that permanent stability in the Western Balkans could be secured by integrating the
countries of the region into NATO.
WASHINGTON, March 30 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul
said in Washington on Monday that permanent stability in the Western
Balkans could be secured by integrating the countries of the region
into NATO.#L#
Zuzul made the statement at the conference "From Security to
Development in the Western Balkans", which was organised by the Centre
for Strategic and International Studies. Zuzul said that permanent
security and stability would be established in the Western Balkans
once the countries of the region were admitted into NATO.
Speaking about Croatia's ambitions to join NATO, Zuzul said that the
policy of open doors was no longer sufficient for Croatia, which
wanted the upcoming summit in Istanbul to offer it clear membership
prospects.
Commenting on the US-Adriatic Charter, which supports the aspirations
of Croatia, Albania and Macedonia to join NATO, Zuzul said the
document was an acceptable means of integration, but that each country
should be evaluated individually in its efforts to accomplish that
goal.
NATO should consider admitting Serbia and Montenegro and
Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Partnership for Peace programme once they
solve the problems they are facing now, Zuzul said adding that the
inclusion of those countries in the programme was part of the solution
to the problems.
Croatia is investing efforts to meet all requirements of the
international community on its road to the EU and NATO and is
particularly working on the return of refugees, the improvement of the
position of minorities, cooperation with the war crimes tribunal in
The Hague, and the building of civil society, the minister said.
Croatia accepts its obligations towards the tribunal and considers the
cooperation a legal and not a political issue, Zuzul said.
Asked to comment on Croatia's great expectations from the NATO summit
in Istanbul in light of the fact that Hague tribunal indictee Ante
Gotovina is still at large, Zuzul said that Croatia's cooperation with
the tribunal could be only judged as a whole and not by that case
alone.
Croatia is fulfilling its obligations towards the tribunal, the
minister said, pointing to documents that were submitted to the
tribunal as well as to the recent voluntary surrender of generals Ivan
Cermak and Mladen Markac.
Commenting on Gotovina's case, Zuzul said the Croatian authorities had
no information about his being in Croatia and did not know his
whereabouts, and added that Croatia's cooperation in this case should
be judged by what it could do.
Speaking about admission to the EU, Zuzul said Croatia expected the EU
to publish its opinion on its membership application by the end of
April, adding that the country was expected to become a candidate by
June.
Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, who also took part in the
conference, said that the stabilisation of the Western Balkans would
not be completed until all countries of the region joined the
Euro-Atlantic community and that deadlines should be set for that.
Croatia has made significant steps in the reform of judicial,
economic, social and democratic institutions and it should be
encouraged in efforts to start negotiations on membership in the EU
and NATO, Rupel said.
He added that Slovenia supported Croatia's efforts to join
Euro-Atlantic institutions.
(Hina) rml