ZAGREB, Sept 8 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader on Wednesday received a delegation of the Council of Europe's parliamentary Assembly, the Foreign Minister said in a statement. Sanader underlined Croatia's
strategic orientation towards economic, political and security European and transatlantic associations. He recalled Croatia's active role in the creation of the Stability Pact and confirmed the country's firm resoluteness to actively participate in the implementation of the Pact. The Stability Pact must be a parallel process in, on the one hand, solving outstanding political issues among countries in the region, and on the other hand, accessing the European Union and NATO on an individual basis, Sanader said. Croatia is intensively trying to establish as better relations as possible with neighbouring countries, and proof of this is the signing of an agreement between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegov
ZAGREB, Sept 8 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo
Sanader on Wednesday received a delegation of the Council of
Europe's parliamentary Assembly, the Foreign Minister said in a
statement.
Sanader underlined Croatia's strategic orientation towards
economic, political and security European and transatlantic
associations.
He recalled Croatia's active role in the creation of the Stability
Pact and confirmed the country's firm resoluteness to actively
participate in the implementation of the Pact.
The Stability Pact must be a parallel process in, on the one hand,
solving outstanding political issues among countries in the
region, and on the other hand, accessing the European Union and NATO
on an individual basis, Sanader said.
Croatia is intensively trying to establish as better relations as
possible with neighbouring countries, and proof of this is the
signing of an agreement between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina on
borders, which is the first such agreement between two countries of
the former Yugoslavia.
Sanader informed the guests about his Tuesday's meeting with
representatives of Croats in Yugoslavia, stressing
dissatisfaction with their status and impossibility of realising
minority rights in line with international conventions. He
especially underlined Croatia's efforts for an agreement to be
signed with Yugoslavia on the protection of minorities, for which
has been no reply from the Yugoslav side.
Croatia will, Sanader said, continue to cooperate with the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
in the Hague, in line with the Constitutional Law, expressing hope
the dialogue held so far on a political level would be restored to a
legal level within the Tribunal.
Sanader again stressed Croatia's dissatisfaction with the ICTY's
failure to issue indictments for numerous crimes committed during
the aggression on Croatia in 1991, as well as for documented crimes
committed against Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Croatia continues to strengthen the established democratic order
and an electoral law based on an agreement of the ruling Croatian
Democratic Union and opposition parties should be adopted soon, he
said.
Speaking about the current situation in Croatia, Sanader
underlined the damage Croatia suffered in many spheres during NATO
operations in Kosovo, about which it would, as other countries
bordering with Yugoslavia, inform relevant institutions, the
Foreign Ministry said.
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