ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - Croatia hopes it will be in the third wave of NATO's expansion, and Zagreb is enjoying the American support to such bids, Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said on Monday at a conference called "NATO,
Croatia and Southeastern Europe."
ZAGREB, June 24 (Hina) - Croatia hopes it will be in the third wave
of NATO's expansion, and Zagreb is enjoying the American support to
such bids, Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said on Monday
at a conference called "NATO, Croatia and Southeastern Europe."
#L#
Many political, economic, military and other activities of the
Croatian government are aimed at the accomplishment of the goals
for the admission in NATO, Picula said adding that the United States
supported Croatia's bids to be in the third wave of the Alliance's
enlargement.
The second group of countries-aspirants will join NATO at a NATO
summit in Prague, set for this autumn, while the first group which
included the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland joined it a few
years ago.
Picula said that in the past two and a half years Zagreb had made
many steps trying to come closer to Euroatlantic integration
processes. In this context he cited the organisation of the Zagreb
Summit, the signing of a Stabilisation and Association Agreement
with the European Union, the accession in the Partnership for Peace
Programme, the EuroAtlantic Partnership Council (EAPC), the
Vilnius Group and in the Membership Action Plan (MAP).
Croatia actively co-operates with the international war crimes
tribunal, and since the fall of the former Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic's regime, Croatia has intensified the
cooperation with Serbia and Montenegro, he added.
Croatia will continue insisting on the extradition to the Hague-
based tribunal of all war crimes suspects, particularly of those
who committed crimes on Croatian soil, Picula said.
He added that his country was fully dedicated to the strengthening
of peace and stability in south-eastern Europe.
Croatian Defence Minister Jozo Rados said Croatia was willing to
give its contribution to NATO.
Carrying out reforms in the military, Croatia has taken many steps
necessary for its preparations for taking part in all the
structures of NATO, Rados said.
At the end of his speech Rados admitted that some parts of the reform
in the military such as the cut in the stuff could be painful but
they were necessary as "the membership in NATO has no
alternative."
(hina) ms