MINISTER DOESN'T EXPECT DISPUTE WITH ICTY WILL DETERIORATE CROATIA'S RELATIONS WITH EU

ZAGREB, Sept 23 (Hina) - European Integration Minister Neven Mimica on Monday expressed hope that Croatia's dispute with the Hague- based U.N. war crimes tribunal would not lead to the deterioration of relations with the European Union. Mimica called on the parliament to, by the end of the year, pass necessary laws in order to make Croatia's request to join the EU credible. #L# Speaking at a session of the parliamentary foreign affairs' committee, Mimica said Croatia would continue to fulfil conditions from the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU "in the belief that the dispute with the Hague tribunal cannot be interpreted as the cancellation of cooperation". "Our relationship with the Hague-based tribunal is one of cooperation between two partners, and if one partner makes a move which destabilises the other, it cannot be called cooperation," Mimica said explaining why the international community should understand Croatia's reasons to start a dispute with the tribunal. Croatia is not falling behind in fulfilling its obligations from the SAA, on the contrary, after 11 months of implementation of the SAA, it has fulfilled 50 percent of all measures foreseen to be implemented during a six-year period, Mimica said. He said that Croatia should, by the end of the year, pass a constitutional law on the rights of minorities, accelerate the process of property restitution, remove legal and financial obstacles to the return of refugees, and implement a judiciary reform. Other tasks are to turn Croatian Radio Television into a public institution and strengthen regional cooperation. Mimica reiterated the government would at the beginning of next year forward an official request to join the European Union. He demanded of the parliament to adopt all foreseen bills and fulfil other conditions by the end of the year in order to make Croatia's request in Brussels credible. (hina) it sb