CROATIAN PRESIDENT ISSUES STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF V-E DAY

ZAGREB, May 8 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic issued a statement on Saturday on the occasion of Victory in Europe Day, welcoming the European Union enlargement process and stressing that Croatia would continue along the road towards full membership of the bloc.#L# The following are quotes from the statement: "The European Union is not an end in itself. It is simply a precondition for peace and development of its members and the entire united Europe towards other world markets. "Many would like to know the price of the entry. The price of failure to enter would certainly be extremely high. We do not have to sell our islands and natural resources in order to enter the European Union, as some people see it. We only have to show our will and ability to accept the criteria that will enable us to connect irreversibly to developed democracies and markets. "Just as we do not want to see Schengen walls on our western borders, equally we do not want to build other walls towards our eastern neighbours. That certainly is not a sign of our weakness but of our stability and maturity. That has been recognised by all international rapporteurs on Croatia. It has also been recognised by the countries of Southeast Europe, which do not view such behaviour as an attempt by Croatia to escape from the region, but as a new model of behaviour in the region. "We have sought our place in the united Europe and we have received confirmation of it. I am certain that in such a Europe we can and must contribute to the process of unification being completed once its southeastern part becomes an integral part of the process." "We welcome the enlargement process. Croatia will continue along this path, which has turned out to be correct. We wish this path also to be embraced by all other countries of Southeast Europe," the statement concluded. (Hina) vm sb