ZAGREB, Jan 29 (Hina) - A letter which NATO sent to Zagreb in December was written in good faith, and it analyses Croatia's achievements and makes some remarks to the reform of the defence sector, a diplomatic source told Hina on
Wednesday, adding that the contents of the letter could not be made public as it was classified as confidential.
ZAGREB, Jan 29 (Hina) - A letter which NATO sent to Zagreb in
December was written in good faith, and it analyses Croatia's
achievements and makes some remarks to the reform of the defence
sector, a diplomatic source told Hina on Wednesday, adding that the
contents of the letter could not be made public as it was classified
as confidential. #L#
The letter arrived in Zagreb after an agreement between NATO
Secretary-General George Robertson and Croatian Premier Ivica
Racan who wanted to know the opinion of the alliance on the ongoing
reforms, the same source said.
The latest issue of the Croatian Globus weekly, which asserts that
Croatia is moving "further away from NATO", says that NATO's
objections referred to the oversized armed force, lack of funds for
their modernisation, inefficient air force and navy and the poor
budget structure. However, the weekly says the report commended
Croatia for its intention to reduce the military, its support to
international peacekeepers SFOR and KFOR and political cooperation
with NATO, as well as for the five-year plans.
After the alliance's summit last November, when seven countries
from the Vilnius Group were invited to join it, Croatia, together
with Albania and Macedonia, remained in NATO's waiting room. On
that occasion Zagreb received assurances that NATO would continue
its open door policy and that Croatia's admission would primarily
depend on the further implementation of reforms as well as on
cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal in the Hague.
The same source told Hina that a NATO delegation would arrive in
Zagreb on Monday for talks with relevant officials on the
political, economic, legal and security aspects of Croatia's bids
to join the alliance and on all points contained in the Membership
Action Plan (MAP).
Last Friday, Croatian officials presented the country's annual
plan for NATO at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. The document,
adopted last October, is a part of commitments Zagreb assumed when
it was invited to join NATO's MAP for countries-aspirants last
spring.
According to the same source, on 11 February Croatian President
Stjepan Mesic is to meet Robertson within his tour to Brussels, and
the NATO Secretary-General is expected in Zagreb on 31 March.
(hina) ms sb