THE UNITED NATIONS, Oct 8 (Hina) - Croatia, in capacity as an applicant for European Union membership, has for the first time officially joined the EU in its stands expressed in the Union's statement on the work of the United Nations
and reforms of this World Organisation.
THE UNITED NATIONS, Oct 8 (Hina) - Croatia, in capacity as an
applicant for European Union membership, has for the first time
officially joined the EU in its stands expressed in the Union's
statement on the work of the United Nations and reforms of this
World Organisation. #L#
Marcello Spatafora, Ambassador of Italy, which is currently
holding the rotating presidency of the EU, on Monday addressed the
58th session of the UN General Assembly in New York and on behalf of
15 EU member-states, 10 countries that will enter the Union in 2004,
and three EU hopefuls he spoke about the accomplishment of the UN's
millennium objectives and the work of this organisation.
Italian Ambassador advocated the strengthening of the UN, a reform
in the functioning of the Security Council and other bodies of the
UN and the fight against international terrorism and eradication of
poverty which might be a fertile soil for that phenomenon.
Croatia's Ambassador to the United Nations, Vladimir Drobnjak, who
also on Monday addressed the General Assembly, said at the end of
his speech that Croatia in capacity as an applicant for EU member,
officially joined the EU in its statement.
This was the first time for Croatia to side with the EU at th UN
General Assembly in the Union's strategic statement on the
strengthening of cooperation within the common foreign and
security policy.
According to diplomatic sources, the Italian presidency of the EU
welcomed Croatia's decision as a good sign of promotion of
cooperation between Zagreb and the Union in common foreign and
security policy.
Croatia joined the EU in its statement in compliance with
conclusions which the EU summit made in Thesaloniki, Greece, this
June. During the summit meeting in Greece it was agreed that five
countries covered by the Stabilisation and Association process
(SAp) would harmonise their foreign polices with the EU policy
concerning the issues of global security and cooperation.
After that in Brussels, Croatia as one of the countries covered by
the SAp joined the EU in its position on Iraq and the International
Criminal Court (ICC).
(hina) ms