BRUSSELS, Jan 27 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan said on Monday he was satisfied with the result of a meeting he had with European Commission president Romano Prodi earlier in the day, adding it was now clear that Croatia's
request for full European Union membership would be well-received.
BRUSSELS, Jan 27 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan said on Monday
he was satisfied with the result of a meeting he had with European
Commission president Romano Prodi earlier in the day, adding it was
now clear that Croatia's request for full European Union membership
would be well-received. #L#
Earlier today Racan visited Brussels as part of a tour of European
capitals on which he is lobbying for support to Croatia's bid for
admission to the EU, for which the country will most likely apply on
February 18 in Athens as Greece is the current EU chair.
Last week Racan visited Berlin.
"The talks held so far indicate that we will get the support for our
bid. Now we have to lobby to have the time European institutions
need to take a stand on our request reduced as much as possible,"
Racan told Croatian journalists.
He said Croatia would try to eliminate the lack of understanding in
some European countries in connection with the extradition of
retired general Janko Bobetko, and explain that it had not exceeded
the options given by the statute of the Hague war crimes tribunal.
Great Britain, for example, has decided to freeze the ratification
of Croatia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU
until the resolution of the Bobetko case. In the Netherlands,
although both parliamentary houses ratified the deal, the
government decided against sending the ratification documents to
the European Commission, leaving the process open.
Today Prodi fully supported Croatia's intention to apply for full
EU membership.
(hina) ha sb