ZAGREB, Sept 29 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic received European Parliament President Pat Cox in Zagreb on Monday and informed him about the steps the government was taking on Croatia's path to the European
Union.
ZAGREB, Sept 29 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Goran
Granic received European Parliament President Pat Cox in Zagreb on
Monday and informed him about the steps the government was taking on
Croatia's path to the European Union. #L#
"We have briefly analysed everything the government has undertaken
since January 3, 2000 to get Croatia closer to the EU, and expressed
confidence that we will achieve all the goals within the deadlines
we set ourselves," Granic told reporters after the talks.
Cox said they had devoted a lot of time to the case of fugitive
general Ante Gotovina in the context of a forthcoming visit of Hague
Tribunal chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte to Zagreb and her report
to the UN Security Council in mid-October.
Cox said he relayed to Granic the same message he had conveyed to
members of the Croatian parliament earlier today, that Croatia
should make every effort to convince Del Ponte that it was
cooperating with the tribunal.
The European Parliament president said the EU would pay special
attention to Del Ponte's report to the UN Security Council on
cooperation between countries of the former Yugoslavia and the
tribunal.
Granic said that the problems Croatia was having on its path to the
EU were the consequences of the 1990s war "because all political
issues arise from that".
"But we are confident that we are able to back up our words with
action to show that the war is behind us" and to ensure Croatia's
membership in the European Union by 2007, Granic said.
(hina) vm