On Saturday, Zuzul will be the first Croatian minister to take part in an informal two-day meeting of the EU's chiefs of diplomacy, who are convening in St. Gerlach near Maastricth, the Netherlands.
"For the first time in its relations with the European Union, Croatia is sitting at the discussion table... Objectively, this is a huge step Croatia has made in the last few years," Zuzul told reporters in New York after attending a Republican convention.
He said the biggest task ahead of Croatia at present was the formation of a negotiating team and the start of preparations for entry negotiations with the EU.
Zuzul said one could realistically expect the negotiations to start in early March 2005.