ZAGREB, March 24 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan on Monday evening commented on his meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, Lawrence Rossin, earlier in the day. He said he "held a long and open discussion with the
American Ambassador which was not the first, nor will it be the last".
ZAGREB, March 24 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan on
Monday evening commented on his meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to
Croatia, Lawrence Rossin, earlier in the day. He said he "held a
long and open discussion with the American Ambassador which was not
the first, nor will it be the last". #L#
"We spoke about the two countries' relations and established that
there was a high degree of agreement in many assessments, but we
also discussed issues which we do not agree on, especially
concerning the ongoing military action in Iraq," Racan said ahead
of his Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidency session.
He added the two "concluded that assessments regarding Iraq should
not affect overall relations between the two countries. We also
agreed, and I deeply believe, that the two countries have reason to
cooperate, particularly in terms of the struggle against
terrorism, even when it concerns Iraq and the all-round rebuilding
of Iraq after the military actions".
"We did not hesitate to tackle conflicting issues which marked
these relations, but we concluded that friendly relations between
the two countries were so comprehensive as to not allow a shadow to
be cast upon them. I think that a similar statement would have been
issued by the American Embassy," Racan said.
Asked whether he had asked Rossin to explain the possible
consequences Croatia might face because of its stance on Iraq,
Racan said they "did not speak about consequences", nor did he
believe in them.
"The United States is at war and words used should be viewed in
relation to that situation. I do not believe in any consequences,
nor do I think that Croatia deserves any for its principled stance,"
said Racan.
(hina) lml sb