COPENHAGEN/VIENNA, Dec 12 (Hina)- The Danish presidency of the European Union on Thursday welcomed a speech by Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula before the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, where he spoke about Croatia's achievements in fulfilling its international obligations to date.
COPENHAGEN/VIENNA, Dec 12 (Hina)- The Danish presidency of the
European Union on Thursday welcomed a speech by Croatian Foreign
Minister Tonino Picula before the Permanent Council of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in
Vienna, where he spoke about Croatia's achievements in fulfilling
its international obligations to date. #L#
The Danish presidency of the EU in a statement released in
Copenhagen expressed its satisfaction with the information that
Minister Picula had presented today. Denmark's Ambassador to the
OSCE, Kirsten Biering, read the statement at the meeting of the OSCE
Permanent Council in Vienna.
At the Vienna meeting, Picula announced Croatia's intention to
submit its application for membership to the EU at the beginning of
2003.
The EU in its statement welcomes the signing of a protocol between
Croatia and Yugoslavia on a temporary regime on the Prevlaka
peninsula which brings a U.N. monitoring mission that has been in
that region since 1992 to an end.
The EU also welcomes an agreement on the use of the Sava river as a
significant element of regional cooperation.
In regard to the law on national minorities, which is currently in
parliamentary procedure, the EU presidency refers to its statement
of December 6, in which it emphasised that the future law should
take into account the recommendations made by the OSCE high
commissioner for national minorities, the European Council's
Venetian Commission and international conventions regulating the
issue. The law should also allow minorities to preserve existing
rights and to have adequate representation in parliament and other
institutions, the statement said.
The EU welcomes statements about the Croatian government's
intention to accelerate returns by Serb refugees.
The Danish presidency of the EU points out that Croatia needs to
establish full cooperation with the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. Following recent
tensions, the EU reminds that it wishes for full cooperation to be
established between Croatia and the Tribunal. As such, General Ante
Gotovina must be handed over to the Tribunal and representatives of
the Tribunal must be allowed to interview General Janko Bobetko,
the statement said.
The EU also points out the importance of long awaited reforms in the
judiciary in Croatia so that war crimes trials can be conducted
justly and in a transparent manner, the statement issued by the
Danish presidency of the EU said.
(hina) sp/ha sb