Sanader said that on the fringes of the summit he had "very useful meetings with the leading people in the EU," including Luxembourg PM Jean-Claude Juncker, Irish PM Bertie Ahern, Dutch PM Jan-Peter Balkenende, Maltese PM Lawrence Gonzi and Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos. They were all interested in what the Croatian government is doing in connection with Ante Gotovina, the runaway general wanted by the Hague war crimes tribunal, the PM said.
"We are determined in resolving this case, which is the only obstacle to the start of negotiations with the EU," which are very important for Croatia's future, Sanader said.
He reiterated that the start of the entry negotiations also depended on the EU, "but mostly on us, on everything the government will do about the Gotovina case".
"Personally I am realistic, but also moderately optimistic, because Croatia must go forward, for the benefit of its citizens. We are already applying European standards, but have to formalise our status by becoming Union members," Sanader said.
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, who chairs the EU Council of Ministers as well as a task force evaluating Croatia's cooperation with the Hague tribunal, told Sanader that the task force had still not set the date for its second meeting.
Sanader said the meeting might be held in the first half of June and that Croatia might brief the task force about its progress in closing the Gotovina issue.
"We will do everything, but according to available information we still cannot conclude that General Gotovina is in Croatia. That's how things are, but we will certainly know something more following the discovery of fake passports and the investigation."
Sanader also met foreign ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Michel Barnier of France. Barnier said France in principle supported and had a positive opinion about the start of Croatia's EU entry talks.
Sanader also met Slovene Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who also supported Croatia, and Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel in his capacity as OSCE chairman.
"We sent a strong signal to EU member countries that Croatia wants to be a country in which the rule of law is unquestionable and in which nobody can put themselves above the law," said Sanader.
He signed two conventions in Warsaw on Croatia's behalf, on combating terrorism and trafficking in humans. A convention on combating money laundering was not signed because there was no consensus. Sanader said Croatia would actively participate in the fight against money laundering and corruption.
The summit ended with the adoption of a Warsaw Declaration and an Action Plan defining the Council of Europe's future activity.
The summit was the first time that all European countries, bar Belarus, gathered at one place. Its principal message is European unity based on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and building Europe without divisions.