AT TALKS WITH DEL PONTE GOVT TO STICK TO ESTABLISHED CONCLUSIONS - RACAN

ZAGREB, Jan 14 (Hina) - At talks with Hague Tribunal chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte scheduled for Monday, members of the Croatian government will stick to the previously established standpoints and conclusions on the cooperation between Croatia and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan told reporters Sunday evening after talks with members of six parties of the ruling coalition. The government's policy toward the Hague Tribunal is known, the government has conclusions on cooperation with the Hague, we are acting in line with those conclusions and we will hold on to them tomorrow during the talks and an attempt to solve some obstacles in the cooperation with the Hague, Racan said. Discussions on cooperation with the Hague tribunal which have political connotations hamper the government's position. If only we had a situation in which investigations of war crimes committed in Croatia were a matter of investigating bodies and judiciary, and not politics, politicisation and petty-political approaches to the subject? Unfortunately, that is not the case and therefore the situation makes the atmosphere in Croatia heavy, as well as its broader position, the Prime Minister stressed. According to Racan, the talks of the ruling coalition will continue next week. After tomorrow's talks with the ICTY chief prosecutor, presidents of the six parties will be informed of the results of the talks. Today's meeting lasted about three hours. After this meeting, President of State Stipe Mesic, Speaker Zlatko Tomcic and Prime Minister Racan met. I assume the talks will focus on the relations with the Hague, but that is all I can say for now, the prime Minister concluded. (hina) it