BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 4882 HINA Zagreb, 4 March 2003

HR-POLITICS-Politika BRIEF NEWS BULLETIN IN ENGLISH NO. 4882 HINA Zagreb, 4 March 2003 CROATIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES COE SECRETARY-GENERALZAGREB, March 4 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Tuesday received Walter Schwimmer, Council of Europe Secretary-General, who congratulated him on the candidacy Croatia recently submitted for European Union membership, Mesic's office said in a statement. Schwimmer voiced confidence Croatia would be able to make up for lost time in terms of EU entry and that it would become a full member in 2007. Mesic said everybody realised Croatia's candidacy would be an illusion if the country failed to start resolving the issues which currently posed a hurdle on its road into Europe. He singled out the return of all displaced and refugees, the treatment of minorities, and the transformation of state television into a public institution. The president stressed the need to fully cooperate with the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague. He also said Croatia