ZAGREB, Sept 18 (Hina) - The Croatian Foreign Ministry has done well its part of the job in recent months, strengthening Croatia's international reputation, but the country's international position is largely dictated by the
favourable course of internal processes, Prime Minister Ivica Racan said in Zagreb on Monday. Today's visit to the Foreign Ministry was the last in Racan's tour of Croatian ministries. "One must not forget that the Foreign Ministry is operating well because internal processes are proceeding well," Racan said. Croatia's international position depends much on the government's activities in the country, Racan said, adding diplomats were only carriers of their government's good policy. "You must have a good policy in order to be able to present it well. Without that, diplomats are not enough," Racan said. The talks at the ministry focused on models of improving Croatia's coopera
ZAGREB, Sept 18 (Hina) - The Croatian Foreign Ministry has done well
its part of the job in recent months, strengthening Croatia's
international reputation, but the country's international
position is largely dictated by the favourable course of internal
processes, Prime Minister Ivica Racan said in Zagreb on Monday.
Today's visit to the Foreign Ministry was the last in Racan's tour
of Croatian ministries.
"One must not forget that the Foreign Ministry is operating well
because internal processes are proceeding well," Racan said.
Croatia's international position depends much on the government's
activities in the country, Racan said, adding diplomats were only
carriers of their government's good policy.
"You must have a good policy in order to be able to present it well.
Without that, diplomats are not enough," Racan said.
The talks at the ministry focused on models of improving Croatia's
cooperation with the international community.
"It is not enough to politically open the doors - it is very
important to enter them with one's economy and achieve results in
the area of domestic economy," Racan said, adding it was essential
that the foreign ministry coordinate Croatia's foreign political
activities.
Racan said his visits to all ministries would be an incentive which
would help the government critically analyse its work as early as
the end of this week.
He announced more frequent meetings in the government and the
ministries, whenever obstacles were encountered.
Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said the talks also tackled a reform
in the ministry, which, he said, should be distinguished from
rationalisation, which was also underway.
"The purpose of the reform is to attain a new form of responsibility
toward tax-payers' money," Picula said.
Picula believes the ministry is in a paradoxical situation because
in the past, when there was more money, the results were few "due to
Croatia's very poor international position." Today Croatia is a
desirable partner, but does not have enough money for all the
projects it wishes to carry out, he added.
(hina) rml