ZAGREB, Nov 25 (Hina) - Representatives of the six parties, which make up the ruling coalition in Croatia, have positively assessed the Zagreb Summit held on Friday by 15 EU member-states leaders and their counterparts from countries
covered by the Stabilisation and Association Process.
ZAGREB, Nov 25 (Hina) - Representatives of the six parties, which
make up the ruling coalition in Croatia, have positively assessed
the Zagreb Summit held on Friday by 15 EU member-states leaders and
their counterparts from countries covered by the Stabilisation and
Association Process.#L#
After the end of the Summit on Friday afternoon almost all leading
politicians in Croatia voiced satisfaction with the fact that the
Final Declaration of the Zagreb event obliged all countries in the
region to cooperate with the Hague-based International Criminal
Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
They were also optimistic about the speed with which Croatia should
complete negotiations with the European Union (EU) on a
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). However, some
representatives of the ruling coalition, and of the opposition
Democratic Centre (DC), regretted that the SAA offered only the
status of potential candidate rather than a candidate for the EU
membership.
Opposition parliamentary parties - the HDZ, which is the strongest
one, and the HSP - expressed fear that Croatia might be led towards a
future regional association through the obligation of regional
cooperation.
A Deputy Speaker of the national parliament and Vice President of
the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Zdravko Tomac, described the
Zagreb Summit as very successful and added that there was no room
either for great euphoria or for scepticism.
According to him, the EU accomplished its aims at the Zagreb
meeting, while Croatia and other countries in the region partially
implemented their plans, as the Declaration cites the term 'their
status as potential candidates, which is less compared to what was
given to countries that previously signed agreements on
association with the Union.
The individual treatment is Croatia's success, but it depends on
the regional cooperation. However, the EU can go on the path which
exists and not on the path which does not exist, Tomac explained.
Stressing that he was not yet acquainted with the text of the final
document, Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) President Drazen
Budisa on Friday afternoon claimed many questions remained without
answers. Zagreb's negotiations with the EU in coming months will
reflect how much the EU treatment (of Croatia) will depend on
regional factors and how much on the individual approach, Budisa
added.
He was glad to see that there was a possibility for Croatia to
complete the negotiations on the SAA within six months. However, he
was cautious about possible development in the region.
Croatian People's Party (HNS) President Vesna Pusic viewed the
Zagreb Summit as the Croatian foreign policy's absolute triumph and
an event which promoted Croatia's reputation.
According to her, the Declaration is a generalised text including
principles and is not a landmark. It , however, confirms the fact
that Croatia is regarded as a part of the solution rather than a
problem, Pusic added.
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) will also have to fulfil
the obligation of the cooperation with the Hague-based ICTY, to
which the Declaration refers as well. It is good that at "a symbolic
level" Yugoslavia accepted that stand here in Zagreb, the HNS
leader said.
Liberal Party (LS) Vice President Zlatko Kramaric also described
the Summit as the significant success of the Croatian foreign
policy, and maintained that Belgrade could not ignore its
commitment to cooperation with the Tribunal.
Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS) Vice President Damir Kajin was
sure that Zagreb would finish negotiations on the SAA within six or
seven months and that it would result in the associate membership.
The associate membership in the EU will bring many good things in
the economic and political fields, Kajin believes. In addition, the
EU will have advantages from it as well. This is addressed in the
Declaration's section referring to the establishment of a regional
free trade area. Therefore Europe is ready to invest EUR 4.65
billion (approximately nine billion German marks), he added.
Sabor Speaker and Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) President Zlatko
Tomcic noted with satisfaction the recognition of the right to the
individual approach to the EU and the obligation for the
cooperation with the ICTY.
Mate Granic, President of the opposition DC, predicted that the
Zagreb Summit would substantially contribute to the stabilisation
and European integration processes in the region. He greeted the
adopted Declaration, but the objection of this former foreign
minister is the text should have expressed to a greater extent the
wish of Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina about
the concretisation of the issue of the succession to the former
Yugoslav federation (SFRY) as much as possible.
DC is not so happy to see that merely the status of potential
candidate has been offered to Croatia in this document.
This party positively assesses the request for the promotion of
regional cooperation, but Zagreb must resolutely resist attempts
to establish any kind of a political institutionalised framework
for the countries in the region and even the one about customs
union, Mate Granic added.
The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) hails the commencement of the
negotiations between Croatia and the EU on the SAA, but emphasises
that Croatia cannot and must not be held captive as hostage of the
neighbouring region.
HDZ leaders saw a possibility that the Zagreb Summit might be
interpreted also as the laying of the foundations for a future
Balkan regional association, which would be contrary to Croatia's
Constitution and national interests.
HSP (Croatian party of Rights) President Anto Djapic said the
Declaration had made Croatia be a step further from the European
Union, and envisaged that the with the Schengen border regimes
taking effect the situation would become more problematic.
Djapic, however, held one should not dramatise, as nothing
spectacular had happened at the Zagreb Summit, except that the
European political jet-set arrived in the Croatian capital.
In his mind, the Declaration should be considered by the Sabor and
after a careful parliamentary analysis stand can be taken on the
matter as at the first glance the final document contains a series
of open issues.
Asked to comment on the fact that Yugoslavia accepted the
Declaration which stipulates the obligation of cooperation with
the ICTY, Djapic answered that the cooperation with the Tribunal
was Serbia's internal issue. As regards Croatia he cannot see what
it can do any more in this field "except to introduce a regular air
service from Zagreb to The Hague.
(hina) jn ms