ZAGREB, Sept 11 (Hina) - German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's initiative about the European Economic Area II (EEA II), which would be separated from the European Union, is unacceptable for Croatia and Zagreb should reject it,
said Mate Granic, president of the opposition Democratic Centre (DC) party. It is worrying that the incumbent Croatian government is surprised at the developments, although such an initiative could be expected, said Granic, a former Croatian foreign minister, adding the Croatian diplomacy should now take decisive, expeditious and constructive action. Fischer's initiative has weight and is obviously supported by the most influential EU countries which believe that a Stabilisation and Association Agreement and the Stability Pact are not sufficient for the stabilisation of the region and that new mechanisms should be introduced and the region integrated economically, the DC
ZAGREB, Sept 11 (Hina) - German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's
initiative about the European Economic Area II (EEA II), which
would be separated from the European Union, is unacceptable for
Croatia and Zagreb should reject it, said Mate Granic, president of
the opposition Democratic Centre (DC) party.
It is worrying that the incumbent Croatian government is surprised
at the developments, although such an initiative could be expected,
said Granic, a former Croatian foreign minister, adding the
Croatian diplomacy should now take decisive, expeditious and
constructive action.
Fischer's initiative has weight and is obviously supported by the
most influential EU countries which believe that a Stabilisation
and Association Agreement and the Stability Pact are not sufficient
for the stabilisation of the region and that new mechanisms should
be introduced and the region integrated economically, the DC leader
added.
In his mind, Croatia has been very passive in the regulation of its
relations with neighbouring countries over the past year and a half
and this boomerangs on Zagreb now.
Granic maintains that the current authorities have not taken care
of the fact that if they do not sufficiently cooperate with
neighbours, the EU will force Zagreb to do so through initiatives
such as the German minister's.
Croatia must not be phobic, but embark on strong and decisive
diplomatic initiatives which can prevent any kind of its
institutional political and economic association with western
Balkan countries. Zagreb will otherwise face a customs and monetary
union with those countries and the abandonment of the individual
approach, and this will certainly hamper the country's natural
development, Granic cautioned.
The president of the HSP (Croatian Party of Rights), Anto Djapic, on
Monday evening expressed dissatisfaction with Fischer's
initiative and said he was expecting a strong reaction of the
Croatian diplomacy. He also maintains that members of parliament
must consider Fischer's plan and take a stand on it by consensus.
Another parliamentary opposition party - the Croatian Christian
Democratic Union (HKDU) - described the initiative as yet another
attempt of the international community to limit Croatia's
sovereignty.
This initiative also shows that there are failures and omissions in
the work of the Croatian diplomacy that has so far accepted all
instructions of the international community without objection,
read a statement released by the HKDU on Tuesday.
The HKDU is not against economic cooperation with neighbouring
countries but it maintains that an economic union, the set-up of a
joint market or any similar framework for institutional
association are a forerunner of a customs and subsequent political
union.
This party urges the Croatian government to express official
objections to Fischer's proposal, which, according to the HKDU,
brings into question the country's sovereignty, statehood as well
as international reputation.
(hina) sb ms