WASHINGTON, June 7 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan held talks with US Justice Secretary John Ashcroft and Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz in Washington DC on Friday, discussing US-Croatian cooperation in justice
and defence.
WASHINGTON, June 7 (Hina) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan
held talks with US Justice Secretary John Ashcroft and Deputy
Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz in Washington DC on Friday,
discussing US-Croatian cooperation in justice and defence. #L#
Informing Ashcroft about plans to reform the Croatian judiciary,
Racan said he would propose an integral reform plan at a meeting
with senior Croatian officials later next week.
This 80-page project tackles every segment of the judiciary and
aims at increasing efficiency, legal security, and the rule-of-
law. The US practice may serve as a model, particularly as regards
the efficiency of courts and the judicial authority, despite the
differences in the two countries' legal systems.
Racan and Ashcroft also discussed possible forms of US-Croatian
cooperation in combating terrorism and organised crime. Given that
the United States Justice Department includes the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the American experience may be of great use to
Croatia, particularly for the activity of the Croatian Office for
the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime.
Racan's meeting with Deputy Defence Secretary Wolfowitz at the
Pentagon confirmed the US support to Croatia's access to NATO.
The Croatian PM said he would like cooperation in the education and
training of Croatian officers in the US to expand as it would bring
the Croatian army in direct contact with NATO standards.
Racan told reporters he and Wolfowitz also discussed assistance in
the guarding of the land and sea borders. This topic will be
discussed further in about ten days, when Croatian Defence Minister
Jozo Rados is to visit Washington.
(hina) ha sb