EU OFFICIAL ON TWO-DAY VISIT TO CROATIA

ZAGREB, Oct 18 (Hina) - The European Commission's (EC) Foreign Affairs Department director, Fabrizio Barbaso, on Monday said the basic goal of his visit to Croatia is to consider, together with Croatian political forces, conditions for the set-up of a consultative working group for Croatia's joining the EU. I have come in Zagreb to consult democratic forces about possibilities of the establishment a consultative working group between the European Commission and Croatia's authorities," Barbaso told Hina after his meeting with six opposition parties' leaders in Zagreb. At the beginning of his two-day visit to Zagreb, Barbaso held a meeting with the Constitutional Court's president, Jadranko Crnic. On Tuesday he is due to meet Foreign Minister Mate Granic, Economy Minister Nenad Porges, and European Integration Minister Ljerka Mintas-Hodak as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations, media and international organisation. In light of gathered information we shall draw up a report for the EU Ministerial Council to discuss it and after that a decision will be made when and under which conditions the working group may be constituted, Barbaso explained. After the meeting with the EU official, the current co-ordinator of the Opposition Six, Ivan Jakovcic of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), said representatives of opposition parties confirmed to Barbaso that their programmes include elaborated ways of Croatia's speedier admission into European integration processes In case of our victory at the election, the EU should count on great pressure we shall exert in order to pave ways for the usage of EU funds and all other potentials of cooperation between the EU and Croatia, Jakovcic said. We talked about those elements that are currently hindering Croatia's entry, at least into the associate membership, and we believe that a great part of problems can be solved immediately upon the composition of a new government, Jakovcic said adding that he referred to the role of media in the process of free and fair elections, the general role of media, particularly of the HTV, election law, the position of minorities and the return of refugees and displaced people. In September, the EU Ministerial Council assessed that Croatia had not managed to fulfil conditions and concluded that it would not form this working group for the time being but it would forward a mission to Croatia to examine whether there are conditions for the establishment of such working group and how it should function. (hina)mm ms