PICULA: CRO WANTS GOOD RELATIONS WITH ALL, BUT INTEGRATION WITH EU

SPLIT, Feb 16 (Hina) - Croatia wants good relations with everyone, but when it comes to integration, it leans toward the European Union, Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said in the southern Adriatic city of Split, Friday evening, at a platform organised by the European Movement. In the introduction speech, the Foreign Minister spoke of EU plans for expansion, adding that expansion toward east would start in 2002. Croatia wants to have good relations with everyone, but when it comes to integration, the country wants to integrate only and exclusively into the European Union, Picula said. According to the Foreign Minister, Croatia paid a high price of war and five years of a completely wrong policy, which is the reason why the country was not yet able to raise Gross National Product to the pre-war level. Picula stressed, however, Croatia was on the path of recovery and it was realistic to expect the country to fulfill all European standards by 2011. Picula told reporters he had received many questions from abroad on the current political situation in Croatia. We explained that social depression was present in Croatia, particularly in Dalmatia, the Foreign Minister said. (hina) it