PORTUGAL PLEASED WITH CHANGES IN CROATIA AND ITS PROSPECTS OF COOPERATING WITH EU

LISBON, Feb 12 (Hina) - Portugal's Foreign Minister Jaime Gama expressed his satisfaction with changes in Croatia as well as prospects opened up for Zagreb to cooperate with the European Union. Gama voiced pleasure after his meeting with Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula and European Integration Minister Ivan Jakovcic on Saturday in Lisbon. Picula and Jakovcic, along with Croatia's Prime Minister Ivica Racan, arrived in the Portuguese capital on Saturday, prior to their tour to Brussels and Berlin. Foreign Minister of Portugal, which is holding the rotating presidency of the EU, recalled that during his stay in Brussels Racan would meet the EU member-countries' foreign ministers at their regular meeting. On that occasion, a joint task force of the EU and Croatia would be set up, and the next step in Croatia's bids to come closer to the EU would be to sign the Agreement on Stabilisation and Association. During our chairmanship of the EU we are going to do all we can to take concrete steps in order to welcome Croatia's entry to the EU one day, Gama said. Croatian Foreign Minister Picula said he had acquainted his Portuguese counterpart with the programme of the Croatian Government and steps it was planning to take in coming months. He said Croatia wanted to promote good ties with its all neighbours in order to show its ability to be an equal EU member-state. Picula added that the Croatian delegation wanted to be acquainted with the experience of Portugal which used to be at the rear of the West Europe and is now a successful economy and a politically respectable country in the EU. Croatia would like to take the same path, Picula said. (hina) ms