ZAGREB, Jan 27 (Hina) - Stepping up Croatia's access to the European Union and NATO is the priority of Croatia's foreign policy, and to that end Croatia will attempt to comply with all conditions which have been set before it,
Croatia's new Foreign Minister Tonino Picula told Hina in an extensive interview on Thursday.
ZAGREB, Jan 27 (Hina) - Stepping up Croatia's access to the European
Union and NATO is the priority of Croatia's foreign policy, and to
that end Croatia will attempt to comply with all conditions which
have been set before it, Croatia's new Foreign Minister Tonino
Picula told Hina in an extensive interview on Thursday.#L#
"The priority is membership in the European Union (EU) and NATO,"
said Picula.
At this moment, Croatia must "make an important, evident step
forward towards the EU" which immediately upon January 3
parliamentary elections signalled its support to Croatia's new
authorities.
He reminded the EU however stressed it expected the new authorities
to comply with familiar conditions necessary for accessing the EU,
of which the most important are internal democratisation, freedom
of the media, support to the Dayton peace agreement, the return of
Croatian Serbs, and cooperation with The Hague war crimes
tribunal.
"Nothing on that list must be left out," said Picula when asked
which condition the government would first tackle.
Speaking about the new government's first steps in foreign affairs,
Picula said the government would draft a document on its policy and
forward it "to all politically relevant addresses in the democratic
world of today."
Picula said the EU and the United States would be the chief foreign
partners because of their influence on the politics which is led in
and around Croatia, but pointed out these two should not be the only
partners.
"We should not lead a mono-cultural foreign policy, we should be
open to all who can help us at this moment," the new foreign minister
said.
Asked how the new government would act if The Hague tribunal
requested the extradition of some Croatian generals for alleged
crimes committed during 1995's liberation operations "Flash" and
"Storm", Picula said the government should do two things, "respect
the international commitments it signed, and urge the domestic
judiciary to be far more efficient in settling amassed bad debts
which date back to the time of final Homeland War operations."
Picula stressed the new government must base its tactics and
strategy regarding The Hague tribunal on the Constitutional Law on
Cooperation with The Hague Tribunal.
Asked if the new government believed The Hague tribunal had
jurisdiction over "Flash" and "Storm", or contested it as the
previous government did, Picula said the tribunal was entitled to
investigate the crimes.
"The Hague tribunal has powers and jurisdiction over crime," he
said.
The new government has yet to see what took place between Croatia's
authorities and the attorneys who represented them before The Hague
tribunal and the tribunal itself.
Speaking about Croatia's stand regarding neighbouring Bosnia-
Herzegovina (BH) and Bosnian Croats, Picula said the new government
would support a sovereign and integral BH and Croats in Bosnia at
the same time.
"Croatia must assume its share of responsibility for stabilising
the situation in BH on a higher level," he said, pointing out "the
Dayton architecture has for some time now been subjected to serious
pressure from different sides."
Picula said he intended to keep in his ministry all who have proven
themselves as experts.
(hina) ha mm