ZAGREB, July 10 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said on Thursday German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who recently cancelled his annual holiday in Italy over tensions between Rome and Berlin, had an open invitation to
spend his vacation in Croatia. Racan also extended his invitation to other European Union statesmen.
ZAGREB, July 10 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said on
Thursday German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who recently
cancelled his annual holiday in Italy over tensions between Rome
and Berlin, had an open invitation to spend his vacation in Croatia.
Racan also extended his invitation to other European Union
statesmen. #L#
Racan was asked if he was going to invite Schroeder to spend his
holidays in Croatia at a joint news conference with European
Commission President Romano Prodi.
"I invited him to Croatia. He accepted the invitation and will come
in October. We'd be very glad if he came even earlier...he has an
open invitation, but not only him, other people from the EU as
well," said Racan.
He added he had told Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi "it would be good
for him to come to Croatia if he wants some peace".
Asked if he would spend at least a weekend in Germany, Prodi said he
always looked forward to visiting Germany.
Schroeder's cancellation of his holidays in Italy has been linked
to Italian State Secretary for Tourism Stefano Stefani, who
recently labelled German tourists as "shapeless blonde
nationalists...besieging the Italian coast drunk on their own
arrogance".
Schroeder said that if Stefani's statement went unpunished and
without a harsh reaction on the Italian government's part, he would
cancel his usual annual holiday in Italy.
The Germans, with 50 million overnight stays and close to EUR7
billion in annual turnover, constitute the majority of foreign
tourists vacationing in Italy.
(hina) ha sb