ZAGREB, May 14 (Hina) - Croatia's Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Friday held talks with Dragan Covic, the Croat member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's three-man presidency, on bilateral cooperation.
ZAGREB, May 14 (Hina) - Croatia's Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Friday
held talks with Dragan Covic, the Croat member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's
three-man presidency, on bilateral cooperation.#L#
"We are very much interested in comprehensive friendly cooperation
with Bosnia-Herzegovina in all fields, particularly in the economy,"
Sanader said after receiving Covic in Zagreb.
In the context of good relations between his cabinet and the Bosnian
Council of Ministers, Sanader announced a visit of Council chairman
Adnan Terzic to Zagreb, probably in the first half of June. After that
the Croatian PM is likely to visit Sarajevo.
Sanader supported Bosnia's efforts to enter NATO's Partnership for
Peace programme, voicing hope that this would happen at the alliance's
forthcoming summit, scheduled to take place in Istanbul next month.
Sanader said that on its road towards the European Union, Croatia did
not flee the region, but it felt increased responsibility to offer
assistance to its friends in the neighbourhood, namely
Bosnia-Herzegovina in this case, as well as to all others that wanted
to follow Croatia's example in a bid to join the EU and NATO.
Covic said that Bosnia "absolutely supports the efforts and this great
step forward" made by Croatia on the road towards the European Union.
Asked by reporters to comment on the developments pertaining to the
Hercegovacka bank scandal, and the issuing of indictment against the
accused of embezzling the bank's funds and announcements that some
Croatia's nationals could be indicted for the case, PM Sanader said
that he did not want to "interfere in the work of judicial bodies in
Croatia, let alone those in Bosnia-Herzegovina".
"I only want to hope that the indictments and all what is surrounding
the case will not be politically motivated; let the rule of law
function," he said.
Both Sanader and Covic welcomed the privatisation of the Herzegovacka
bank.
Asked to comment on the latest report made by the Human Rights Watch
which criticised Zagreb for failing to make important steps to
facilitate the return of Serbs, Croatian Prime Minister said that he
had not yet seen the paper and that he could only say that his cabinet
was praised by all important international factors, including the
European Commission, for efforts which it had made so far in this
field.
(Hina) ms