"Kosor is the best choice the HDZ has at present. I'm confident she will be not only a good candidate but also the election winner," Sanader told national radio on Monday.
He said Kosor affirmed herself in performance, both in Parliament and in the Government, was oriented towards the future, and was among the few politicians who did not start her political career in the former Socialist Yugoslavia.
Sanader refused to answer the question if the Government would have arrested fugitive General Ante Gotovina, who is wanted by the Hague war crimes tribunal, had it found out that he was in Brela last summer.
"I don't reply to hypothetical questions," he said, reiterating the Government wished to cooperate with the Hague tribunal and for the Gotovina case to be settled before the U.N. court.
He repeated his call on Gotovina to settle his case before the Hague tribunal and that Croatia would give him all the help he needed.
The PM was unable to say how the alleged transcript of a conversation former President Franjo Tudjman and his associates had a few days before the summer 1995 Operation Storm ended up at the Hague tribunal. He said competent bodies must investigate how a classified document ended up there, adding he could not comment on the authenticity of the transcript which appeared in the media.
Sanader reiterated cooperation with the Hague tribunal was unquestionable, but said it must be conducted in accordance with the law.
He dismissed accusations by MP Milorad Pupovac of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), the HDZ's coalition partner, who said there were more cases of the Government purchasing property than of it returning property to owners, which Pupovac labelled the continuation of the ethnic cleansing policy but by other means.
Sanader said Pupovac's claims were out of line, and that most of what was agreed by the HDZ and the SDSS with regard to property restitution could be realised by the end of the year.
The PM said he told Pupovac he was not happy that Pupovac's claim coincided with the Hague tribunal chief prosecutor's report on Croatia's cooperation with the U.N. court. He added Pupovac assured him it was a coincidence.