The Croatian authorities have made it clear on several occasions that one of their foreign policy goals is admission to NATO. In line with that goal, Croatia is taking part in NATO's mission in Afghanistan (ISAF), with its fourth military police contingent having been deployed in September, the source said. The 50-strong military police contingent will stay there six months.
In the first half of next year Croatia is expected to form an 11-strong military-medical team in Kabul with Albania and Macedonia.
Under a joint declaration on civil cooperation within a regional team for reconstruction in the Afghan town of Feyzabad, which is led by Germany, Croatia is expected to send one diplomat and two police inspectors in early December to help local authorities in Afghanistan. Croatia is ready for more active civilian and military engagement in NATO's mission in Afghanistan if necessary, including the deployment of doctors, agronomists and builders.
With regard to Iraq, Croatia supports efforts by the international community to establish peace, stability and democracy in that country, the same source said.
Croatia is not a member of the US-led military coalition in Iraq, but it has given its contribution by accepting a group of Iraqi children for medical treatment and providing forensic training for Iraqi doctors.
The Croatian authorities have made it clear on several occasions that they do not intend to send their soldiers to Iraq, but they have expressed readiness to ensure the necessary humanitarian and expert assistance. One of the forms of that assistance may be participation in the training of Iraqi police officers at a police academy in Jordan.
Some Croatian media recently misquoted Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul's statement about the sending of three civilians to Afghanistan, claiming that it was an announcement of the deployment of civilians in Iraq.
Apart from NATO missions, Croatia has also been participating in UN peace missions under a stand-by arrangement with the UN.
Between August 2003 and August 2004, along with participation in five UN peace missions, Croatia joined UN peace missions in Liberia (UNMIL), the Ivory Coast (UNOCI), Cypres (UNFICYP), and Haiti (MINUSTAH).
The Croatian army has been participating in eight UN peace missions - in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) with five military observers, in the Western Sahara (MINURSO) with two observers, in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) with six observers, in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) with seven observers, the Ivory Coast (UNOCI) with three observers, Cypres (UNFICYP) with two officers, Liberia (UNMIL) with three officers, and Haiti (MINUSTAH) with one military psychologist.