PRESIDENT MESIC COMMENTS ON "BOBETKO CASE"

KOPRIVNICA, Nov 9 (Hina) - Asked by a reporter about Croatia's admission to the European Union during his visit to Koprivnica on Saturday, President Stjepan Mesic said that all connected the EU's statement about Croatia's membership application to the "Bobetko case", however, he believed it was not related to it. #L# "We are climbing stair by stair to our full membership in the EU. We haven't climbed all the stairs but some we have. We have reached the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, but we have not adopted, for example, a law on the protection of national minorities," Mesic said. That law must be adopted as soon as possible because "every civilised and democratic country must protect vulnerable groups, national minorities being among the most vulnerable one", the President said. "We have to react faster so that we may be recognised as a country accepting the standards of the modern, democratic world," he added. Speaking about the values of the Homeland War, Mesic said they were protected best by individualising war crimes. (hina) rml