EC DELEGATION ISSUES RECTIFICATION OF AMBASSADOR'S STATEMENT

ZAGREB, Nov 6 (Hina) - The European Commission (EC) delegation to Croatia issued a press release on Wednesday stating that EC Ambassador Jacques Wunenburger did not say Croatia should freeze its candidacy for the European Union, but only briefly commented on the fact that the EU, due to its own priorities, might not be prepared to consider Croatia's application. #L# "Ambassador Wunenburger did not say, as reported by HINA and Vecernji list, that 'Spring 2003 is not the ideal moment for application, thus, Croatia should freeze its candidacy for some time," reads the release of the EC Office in Zagreb. HINA's items referred to a statement Wunenburger made on Tuesday during a presentation of the results of a Eurobarometre research of EU citizens' support to candidate-countries, as well as those which are not candidates yet, like Croatia. "Croatia's decision to apply is the decision of a sovereign State and the EU understands that there is a local political agenda, which will obviously dictate the actual date of application," Wunenburger said according to the press release. It adds the ambassador "did not give any advice to the Government in this respect. He then only briefly commented upon the EU's own preparedness to welcome such an application (in light of the fact that) the EU still has to complete the present enlargement process and carry out its internal institutional reform". The press release also adds that Wunenburger, in response to a journalistic question about Croatia's cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague, said that "unfortunately, the impression remains that the Government would comply only under international pressure, whilst we in the EU would expect Croatia to comply for the own sake and adherence to EU standards and values". (hina) ha sb