Diplomatic sources within the OSCE told Hina that the report was most positive yet and that the tone of the debate on it was constructive.
Representatives of the European Union, the United States, the Russian Federation and the Union of Serbia and Montenegro said that Croatia had taken successful steps forward in the last six months, emphasising the importance of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's recent visit to Belgrade for further normalisation of the situation in the region.
They also underlined the need for continued work, in coordination with the OSCE Mission, on issues that are in the focus of government projects, including the return of refugees, judicial reform, full implementation of obligations from the Constitutional Law on the Rights of National Minorities, and cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal.
The EU and the US drew attention to the outstanding issue of fugitive general Ante Gotovina, saying that Croatia should resolve it as soon as possible in order to clear the last obstacle to obtaining a positive assessment of its cooperation with the Hague tribunal.
The US delegation also cited cases of journalists who had been sentenced to prison for defamation, which it described as unacceptable practice.
"I believe that the Mission's report, as well as what could be heard during the debate in the Permanent Council, is in a way the start of a period in which it will be possible to say that Croatia has achieved most of the goals falling within the competence of the OSCE Mission in Croatia," the Croatian Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Issues, Tomislav Vidosevic, told Hina.
Vidosevic described the report as "certainly the best report on Croatia's progress yet" and said that its main point was good cooperation between the Government and the OSCE Mission.
"The gradual downsizing of the Mission confirms the progress Croatia has made in meeting its international obligations," Vidosevic said, stressing Croatia's determination to achieve the shared goals of the Croatian Government and the OSCE Mission.