NEW YORK, Sept 17 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said in New York on Tuesday that the UN mission of military observers on Prevlaka had successfully completed its mandate and that there was no need for it to be
extended beyond Oct. 15.
NEW YORK, Sept 17 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula
said in New York on Tuesday that the UN mission of military
observers on Prevlaka had successfully completed its mandate and
that there was no need for it to be extended beyond Oct. 15. #L#
Addressing the UN General Assembly, Picula said that his talks last
week with Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic indicated
that the two countries were on the way to successfully resolving
other contentious issues in the near future as well.
Considering the state of negotiations between Belgrade and Zagreb,
Minister Picula concluded that some transitional solution could be
found relatively quickly.
Given that circumstances on Prevlaka, a southern Croatian
peninsula bordering on Montenegro, are no longer a threat to peace
and security, Picula said that the UN Mission did not have to be
extended beyond the current mandate.
Quoting the catchword that there is no peace without justice,
Picula promised the continuation of co-operation between the
Croatian government and the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague. He
added, however, that this did not diminish the key role of the local
trials for war crimes in the process of national reconciliation.
The Croatian minister commended the commencement of work of the
permanent International Criminal Court (ICC), which he said could
become the true guarantee of the ideals contained in the UN
Charter.
Speaking about global issues, Picula joined the participants of the
57th General Assembly session in their demand that Iraq respect its
international obligations, and expressed his satisfaction that the
United States showed interest to deal with the problem with Iraq
through the UN.
Picula reiterated Croatia's readiness to continue co-operating in
the fight against terrorism. On the example of the Near East, he
warned that regional conflicts need to be resolved because they
could be fruitful territory for recruiting terrorists.
(hina) sp/ha sb