SWEDISH PM ENDORSES CROATIA'S EU MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

STOCKHOLM, Oct 23 (Hina) - Sweden highly appreciates the efforts the Croatian government has made in preparing for admission to the EU and hopes real membership negotiations will be launched soon, Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson said in Stockholm on Thursday after talks with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic. #L# Persson and Mesic discussed Croatia's preparations for European Union membership, coming parliamentary elections in Croatia, the situation in Croatia and the wider region, and cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. During the meeting Persson, who recently held talks with Slovene PM Anton Rop, touched on the Croatian-Slovene border dispute. We don't wish to have such a conflict within the expanding EU. That must be settled, but we didn't discuss any assistance in that. It is important to resolve this issue through dialogue between the two countries, said Persson. Responding to a reporter's question whether the case of fugitive Hague tribunal indictee Ante Gotovina was going to affect Croatia's application for EU membership, President Mesic said it would be bad it that depended on one man alone. He added that "it would be bad if any institution were protecting Gotovina... But that's not the case". The Croatian delegation in Sweden includes European Integration Minister Neven Mimica and Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Simonovic. During a visit to Croatia in March, Sweden's slain Foreign Minister Anna Lindh said her country fully supported Croatia's membership application. Sweden ratified Croatia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU in April, and it was during Sweden's chairmanship of the Union, in the first half of 2001, that Croatia started and completed negotiations on and initialled the Agreement. Today Mesic is due to hold talks with Swedish businessmen. On Friday he will meet King Carl Gustav XVI and visit Ericcson's headquarters. (hina) ha