EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON NEGOTIATIONS WITH CRO.

ZAGREB, Dec 15 (Hina) - The European Parliament on Dec. 13 adopted a special resolution on a European Commission feasibility study for the commencement of Croatia-EU negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), Croatia's Foreign Ministry said. According to Friday's statement, "510 European deputies voted in favour of the resolution, which fully incorporates Croatia's interests and aspirations, seven were against, while 22 abstained." The Foreign Ministry "is very satisfied with the contents of the resolution... as well as with the assessments made at the parliament's plenary session by EU's foreign affairs commissioner Chris Patten." In his address, Patten had said that Croatia's Jan. 3 elections had started a historic year for Southeast Europe. He had voiced satisfaction that the year ended with the beginning of negotiations on SAA, and on behalf of the EU voiced hope they would wrap up soon. Patten had commended Croatia's cooperation with UN's war crimes tribunal in The Hague and a positive turn in relations with neighbouring Bosnia. The commissioner had pointed to the need of substantially increasing assistance to Croatia from the CARDS programme, stressing the demand that countries participating in SAA cooperate was in no way an attempt to renew the ex-Yugoslavia. (hina) ha