ATHENS, Feb 21 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said in Athens on Friday Croatia had not yet responded to an inquiry from the United States regarding the use of its air space and planes being supplied with fuel at its air
bases in the event of a war against Iraq.
ATHENS, Feb 21 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said in
Athens on Friday Croatia had not yet responded to an inquiry from
the United States regarding the use of its air space and planes
being supplied with fuel at its air bases in the event of a war
against Iraq. #L#
The prime minister said that Croatia had received certain enquiries
in the form of a non-paper regarding services it was willing to
provide in case of a war against Iraq, adding the non-paper had been
forwarded to other countries as well.
"Unlike some other countries which have responded positively,
either through their parliaments or governments, Croatia has not
made a decision yet," Racan told Croatian reporters.
"If and when we make a decision, we will make it in line with the
Constitution. Before that, we will clarify some issues which are
not in our hands and will not make any decision without
consultations with our partners in the EU," Racan said.
Croatia prefers a peaceful solution to the crisis and believes that
not all possibilities of solving the crisis with non-military means
have been exhausted, Racan said.
Asked to comment on the fact that some important EU members do not
share Croatia's belief that it cooperates with the U.N. war crimes
tribunal in The Hague, Racan disagreed with the claim, stating that
"it might have been true three months ago".
"I believe that those countries now understand Croatia's conduct
better," Racan said, announcing that on March 18 and 19 he would
visit London. British authorities have suspended the process of
ratification of Croatia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement
with the EU due to the Bobetko case.
Commenting on the case of General Ante Gotovina, Racan said the
Croatian government could not be responsible for his not having
been arrested yet. "One should not doubt that the Croatian
authorities, if possible, would arrest General Gotovina," Racan
said.
"Our goal is to cooperate with the Hague tribunal and maintain
political stability in the country at the same time," he added.
Racan voiced satisfaction with his visit to Greece, stating he
expected the Council of Ministers to discuss Croatia's application
for EU membership already in April, a possibility also mentioned by
Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis.
(hina) rml sb