PORTUGAL SUPPORTS CROATIA'S PATH TOWARDS EU

LISBON, Feb 3 (Hina) - Portugal will support Croatia's drawing closer to the EU and intends to ratify Croatia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU soon, Portugal's Foreign Minister Antonio Martins da Cruz said in Lisbon on Monday after talks with his Croatian counterpart Tonino Picula. #L# The Croat is paying a two-day visit to Portugal as part of a diplomatic initiative seeking support to Croatia's application for full European Union membership -- expected to be submitted in Athens on the 18th. Portugal will support Croatia's path to the EU and notes with appreciation the very important and positive steps taken by the government over the past three years, da Cruz told a joint news conference. He added those steps included regional cooperation, a law on national minorities, refugee returns, and political, social, and economic stability. Portugal will approve the Croatia-EU deal within the next two months, said da Cruz. His talks with Picula also addressed Croatia's cooperation with the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Da Cruz said the focus was on two generals and that he did not doubt the Croatian government's wish to cooperate with the tribunal. The talks also touched upon bilateral relations. (hina) ha sb