"The allies have commended the programme as the most complete, the most effective and the best document so far," the national coordinator for NATO, Pjer Simunovic, told Hina on the phone from Brussels.
The programme, whose adoption made it possible for Croatia to enter the third phase of the Membership Action Plan (MAP), was presented by Simunovic before the Reinforced Senior Political Committee.
MAP is a programme of political, economic, legal, and military adjustments to NATO standards, and apart from Croatia it covers Macedonia and Albania, partners from the US-Adriatic Charter.
Simunovic said that the Committee commended political, economic and military reforms in Croatia, stressing the country's contribution to NATO's policy and operations. Croatia has been participating in NATO's mission in Afghanistan and since recently in a civil mission as part of a German regional team for reconstruction in Faisabad, Afghanistan.
Questions from Committee members referred mostly to cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague and the case of runaway tribunal indictee Ante Gotovina, the return of refugees and property restitution, the reform of the judicial and defence systems, privatisation and regional cooperation, Simunovic said.
The Committee also discussed the need for improving communication with the public regarding admission to NATO, which the Ivo Sanader government hopes will happen in 2006 or 2007.
The authorities in Zagreb have defined the main goal of the third MAP phase - achieving such a degree of reforms that will ensure the opening of accession talks with NATO.
In the Programme, which was drawn up by all ministries, the Parliament and the Office of the President, the government states that it strongly supports NATO's policy and intends to continue expanding its participation in NATO operations.
As regards Iraq, Croatia is not involved militarily in the coalition led by the United States, but it has given its contribution by accepting a group of Iraqi children for medical treatment and by providing forensic training for Iraqi doctors.
Analysts say that Zagreb's failure to sign an agreement with Washington on the non-extradition of US citizens to the International Criminal Court may be an obstacle to the country's admission to NATO.
Another obstacle could be the failure to transfer General Gotovina to the Hague war crimes tribunal, whose prosecution believes that Croatia is not making enough efforts to locate the fugitive.