SARAJEVO, July 27 (Hina) - Croatia supports regional cooperation and does not fear it could send it back into neo-Yugoslav or neo-Balkan integration processes, Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan said in Sarajevo on Thursday. Speaking
at a lecture entitled "On the New Direction of Croatia's Foreign Policy and Relations Between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina", Racan said cooperation between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina was of strategic importance and was a priority in Croatia's foreign policy. Racan called on Bosnian Croat democratic forces and other democratic forces to contribute more decisively to Bosnia's democratic orientation because this was how national interests were being protected. The Croatian prime minister also called on democratic forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina not to give up because, he said, this was important not only for Bosnia but for Croatia as well. Racan criticised the former
SARAJEVO, July 27 (Hina) - Croatia supports regional cooperation
and does not fear it could send it back into neo-Yugoslav or neo-
Balkan integration processes, Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan
said in Sarajevo on Thursday.
Speaking at a lecture entitled "On the New Direction of Croatia's
Foreign Policy and Relations Between Croatia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina", Racan said cooperation between Croatia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina was of strategic importance and was a priority in
Croatia's foreign policy.
Racan called on Bosnian Croat democratic forces and other
democratic forces to contribute more decisively to Bosnia's
democratic orientation because this was how national interests
were being protected.
The Croatian prime minister also called on democratic forces in
Bosnia-Herzegovina not to give up because, he said, this was
important not only for Bosnia but for Croatia as well.
Racan criticised the former rule of the Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ) in Croatia and the policy of the late president Franjo
Tudjman, saying that policy was dual.
According to Racan, Tudjman's policy favoured Croatia out of the
Balkans but operated in a Balkan manner. For Racan, Croatia is a
Balkan, central European and Mediterranean country.
"We are lagging behind for 10 years because of the war but also
because of a wrong policy," he said.
Racan also criticised the policy which was aimed at dividing
Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is Croatia's duty to contribute to
preserving Bosnia-Herzegovina's integrity and independence, he
said.
Attending today's lecture was also the head of the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Robert Barry. Barry wanted to know why Croatia had
reservations regarding an initiative by French President Jacques
Chirac regarding a meeting of former Yugoslav countries in Zagreb.
Racan admitted he, too, had reservations regarding the initiative
because he believed it was not totally clear. The initiative is
being amended and it now means a summit of 15 European countries and
countries in the region, Racan said, stressing he now supported
Chirac's initiative.
Asked by a guest at the lecture whether Croatia would apologise for
the aggression on Bosnia-Herzegovina, Racan said Croatia's current
authorities had criticised the HDZ policy the whole time.
"It is not fair that we should have to apologise," Racan said.
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