ZAGREB, Sept 25 (Hina) - Croatia's Minister of European Integration, Neven Mimica, has said that Croatian arguments in the case of General Ante Gotovina were presented well to Europe, but they obviously have not met with
understanding.
ZAGREB, Sept 25 (Hina) - Croatia's Minister of European
Integration, Neven Mimica, has said that Croatian arguments in the
case of General Ante Gotovina were presented well to Europe, but
they obviously have not met with understanding. #L#
"I believe that Croatian arguments were well-presented, but the
level of acceptance is not the same in The Hague and Zagreb," Mimica
told reporters at the government building in Zagreb.
He said that at least two countries (Great Britain and the
Netherlands) placed cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal in
The Hague on top of the list of requirements for the ratification of
Croatia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU.
Commenting on his recent visit to London, Mimica said the condition
for ratification was either full cooperation with the tribunal or
the resolution of the Gotovina case.
He confirmed that the authorities in London had warned that even if
Gotovina was not in Croatia, this did not exempt the country from
the obligation to cooperate with other countries in carrying out
the tribunal's requests.
Mimica said that the blocking of the process of ratification of the
SAA by some countries had not slowed Croatia down in adjusting its
legislation to that of the EU.
In 2002 and 2003 Croatia adjusted some 100 laws to those in the EU.
Until the end of 2006, when domestic legislation is to be fully
harmonised with the EU's, some 600 laws and by-laws will have to be
adopted, he said.
By adopting the last four laws that need adjustment to the EU
legislation, the government today completed its share of the job.
Mimica said the government now faced even more extensive work,
including the adoption of a national programme for 2004 defining in
detail what had to be done in the legislative sphere as well as in
other areas.
Mimica believes that negotiations with the EU could start at the end
of next year.
(hina) rml