Grabar Kitarovic practically confirmed the words of Kurt Volker, deputy assistant US Secretary of State in charge of European affairs, who said that the new NATO enlargement should wait until 2008, saying that this was the standpoint of Washington.
After talks with the US President Assistant and deputy President's assistant for national security issues, J.D. Crouch, Grabar Kitarovic said that the final decision on the date of the NATO enlargement summit had not yet been made adding, however, that this could be later than Croatia had expected.
Croatia and the other two countries signatories to the US-Adriatic Charter - Albania and Macedonia - hoped that they could be invited to join NATO at the summit in 2006.
Volker said that despite the progress Croatia, Albania and Macedonia made, NATO was not convinced that the three countries were ready for membership and that the decision on their joining should wait until 2008.
"However, there is no doubt about NATO enlargement," the Croatian minister said and added Croatia would continue to meet criteria for NATO membership.