ZAGREB, Dec 9 (Hina) - Croatian Defence Minister Zeljka Antunovic has stated that Croatia is still not ready to become a NATO member, which she said was why she did not expect an invitation for membership at a recent NATO summit in
Prague.
ZAGREB, Dec 9 (Hina) - Croatian Defence Minister Zeljka Antunovic
has stated that Croatia is still not ready to become a NATO member,
which she said was why she did not expect an invitation for
membership at a recent NATO summit in Prague. #L#
"We have to be ready to accept the standards of that alliance so that
we can become a NATO member in the next expansion round," Antunovic
said at a lecture at Zagreb's Faculty of Political Sciences on
Monday evening, commenting on the question whether Croatia was to
have become a NATO member at the Prague summit.
"If we should not be completely ready for membership in the next
round, it may be regarded as the failure of our policy," Antunovic
added.
Membership in NATO does not mean only the admission of a country's
defence system, as NATO is an alliance of countries nurturing the
same values of democracy, human rights, market economy, etc.,
Antunovic said.
"Our country's access to NATO should be the result of the work of the
ministries and society on the whole," she said.
The lecture was organised by the Atlantic Council of Croatia, a non-
government organisation advocating Croatia's admission into Euro-
Atlantic associations.
(hina) sp rml