ZAGREB, March 17 (Hina) - The first talks between the European Union and Croatia on an agreement on stabilisation and association should start in June or July and the agreement could be signed in the first half of 2001, Doris Pack,
head of a European Parliament delegation for south-east Europe, said after her talks with Croatian President Stipe Mesic in Zagreb on Friday. Pack said she based this optimistic forecast on her talks with Chris Patten, EU's commissioner for foreign affairs, who visited Croatia earlier this month. Pack said that by visiting Croatia she wanted to show the continuity of her support for Croatia and its new president and government. She expressed hope President Mesic and the Government would manage to bring Croatia considerably closer to the EU this year already. President Mesic said he had been cooperating with Mrs Pack for a long time, adding today their cooperation was cont
ZAGREB, March 17 (Hina) - The first talks between the European Union
and Croatia on an agreement on stabilisation and association should
start in June or July and the agreement could be signed in the first
half of 2001, Doris Pack, head of a European Parliament delegation
for south-east Europe, said after her talks with Croatian President
Stipe Mesic in Zagreb on Friday.
Pack said she based this optimistic forecast on her talks with Chris
Patten, EU's commissioner for foreign affairs, who visited Croatia
earlier this month.
Pack said that by visiting Croatia she wanted to show the continuity
of her support for Croatia and its new president and government.
She expressed hope President Mesic and the Government would manage
to bring Croatia considerably closer to the EU this year already.
President Mesic said he had been cooperating with Mrs Pack for a
long time, adding today their cooperation was continuing toward the
realisation of Croatia's strategic goals - membership in the EU and
NATO.
"Before that we should climb some stairs such as the Stability Pact
and associate membership for which we will have the full support of
Mrs Pack and all those who wish a European Croatia," Mesic said.
Present at the talks was also the Minister of European Integration,
Ivan Jakovcic.
Asked about the pace in fulfilling conditions for drawing closer to
the EU, Jakovcic said Brussels was today satisfied with processes
in Croatia, and was aware that everything cannot be achieved
overnight.
When an EU working group visits us in April, we will have something
to show as our argument proving that we are fulfilling our
obligations, Jakovcic said, naming as examples the transformation
of Croatian Television into a public television, the withdrawal of
discriminatory regulations in some laws and other steps of the new
Croatian authorities.
(hina) rml