OFFICIAL: RATIFICATION OF SAAA WITH CROATIA BY NETHERLANDS "DONE DEAL"

ZAGREB, April 28 (Hina) - Croatia can consider the issue of completing the ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) by the Netherlands "a done deal", a spokeswoman for the Dutch Foreign Ministry, Carola Baller, told Hina on Wednesday.#L# We are talking about a period of several weeks, she said. Final steps are being taken, the spokeswoman added. The only thing left to do is signing the ratification instrument and sending it to the Council of the European Union, Baller said. The Dutch parliament has already ratified the SAA between Croatia and the European Union, but the process has not been completed because the government declined to officially inform the Council of the European Union of the ratification. The government backed its decision by saying that Croatia did not fully cooperate with the Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal. The avis on Croatia's EU membership application, which the European Commission issued last week, includes a statement by ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte who said Croatia was fully cooperating with the tribunal. The spokeswoman for the Dutch ministry said the latest developments were not the result of the EC's positive avis. She said the change in her country's attitude was the result of Croatia's cooperation with the Hague tribunal, and added that her government expected Croatia to continue cooperating with the ICTY. (Hina) it