"I can say that all prime ministers and party leaders have extended their full support. I was even told that
there is no need for any major debates about Croatia, because it is understandable that the European Council's decision of June, which states that the talks with Croatia should start in early 2005, has to be followed," Sanader said in Meise near Brussels, where he attended an EPP summit.
The summit was attended by a dozen prime ministers from EU member-countries and party leaders from all over Europe.
All party factions in the European Parliament traditionally organise meetings of party leaders ahead of EU summits.
The EPP, which gathers European Christian Democrat parties, has the largest faction in the European Parliament with 268 deputies.
Sanader said he talked with all attending prime ministers and used the opportunity to lobby so that Croatia could obtain the exact date for the start of accession talks at the EU summit in December.
Asked to comment on the latest request by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, which along with the transfer of Ante Gotovina also demands the transfer of Miroslav Bralo, Sanader said that one should first establish whether Bralo was a Croatian citizen and whether he was in Croatia.
If it is established that he is in Croatia, we will "treat him as any other indictee and transfer him to The Hague", Sanader said.
"However, I do not want the case to become a burden for Croatia, since according to available information, he is not a Croatian citizen and is not indicted for crimes in Croatia, but in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and I believe that we will clarify those circumstances with the ICTY," the PM said.