Stoiber said after the talks Bavaria had been advocating Croatia's accelerated admission to the EU for years, and voiced hope the European Council would set a date for the entry talks at their December 17 meeting. He pledged he would do everything in his power so that Croatia's wish for the talks to start early next year was fulfilled.
Stoiber said Croatia's cooperation with the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague was good, and that the start of EU entry talks could not be linked to one single case, referring to fugitive general Ante Gotovina.
Stoiber said Croatian-Bavarian economic and political relations were good, and that Bavaria would continue to advocate the intensification of Croatia-EU relations.
The Croatian PM thanked his Bavarian counterpart for the support, inviting him to visit Croatia in the first half of 2005, which Stoiber accepted.
During today's talks Stoiber refuted claims that the CSU was against the further EU enlargement.
Before the end of his three-day stay in Germany, his sixth this year, Sanader underlined Germany's importance as one of Croatia's most significant partners on the road to the EU. He added his latest visit was very successful because of the broad support received for Croatia's EU entry.
(Hina) ha