Hoon said he was pleased with exceptionally good relations between the two countries and the progress Croatia had made as a result of the implemented reforms and excellent international contacts.
The British minister conveyed the concern of the European Union and NATO about the latest report by the chief prosecutor of the Hague war crimes tribunal and the fact that Croatia had not yet fulfilled one of the crucial conditions for membership in the EU and NATO.
The Hague tribunal criticised Croatia for its failure to arrest fugitive general Ante Gotovina, who is sought by the tribunal on war crimes charges.
Having met the rest of the conditions, Croatia is closest to NATO and EU membership in comparison to other candidates in the region, Hoon said. Croatia is expected to take concrete and clear steps in the coming weeks to remove this obstacle, he added.
Mesic and Hoon also exchanged views on ways of resolving the situation in the Near East, the fight against terrorism and the situation in Iraq, and agreed that peace should be achieved also by making efforts on the political level and not just through military involvement as is now the case.