The contingent has around 60 troops, including 44 military police officers, members of the medical corps, and staff and intelligence officers. They are to replace the seventh contingent which is returning to Croatia after six months.
Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Josip Lucic and Raboteg informed President Mesic about the ISAF mission in which Croatia has been participating since 2003.
Both officials said that Croatian soldiers were fully trained and equipped for serving in peace missions in line with NATO standards.
Experience with the ISAF mission is valuable for the transformation of the Croatian army, Raboteg said, adding that Croatia expected the international community and NATO to objectively assess its achievements and give a clear signal regarding its future in NATO.
President Mesic said that he had an open invitation by President Hamid Karzai to visit Afghanistan and was planning to visit the country.
An advance party for the Croatian contingent is already in Kabul carrying out preparations for the eighth contingent to take over the duties of the seventh contingent.
Answering a reporter's question, Mesic said that Croatia had not received any official request to make its troops available for the UN peace mission in Lebanon.
"We have not received any official request to send our troops. So far we have participated in monitoring missions, while the mission in Lebanon would be a mission to impose peace, requiring special training and equipment," Mesic said.
Mesic was also asked to comment on Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's statement via video link at an election rally of Bosnia's Croatian Democratic Union 1991 party, which reportedly advocates federalisation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mesic said that his position on the matter was slightly different from the party's position.
"I support such reorganisation of Bosnia-Herzegovina as will not put any of its peoples in an inferior position," Mesic said, adding that he would not interfere with the election race in the neighbouring country, but only state his opinion.
The speed of integration of Bosnia-Herzegovina with Euro-Atlantic institutions will depend on the country's institutions, and we want that to happen as soon as possible, he added.