VATICAN, Jan 8 (Hina) - Croatia can continue counting on the Holy See's support on its road to the European Union, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said on Thursday after an audience with the pope.
VATICAN, Jan 8 (Hina) - Croatia can continue counting on the Holy See's
support on its road to the European Union, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
said on Thursday after an audience with the pope.#L#
Sanader is at the helm of a government delegation which arrived in the
Vatican yesterday. He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul
and Bozo Biskupic, minister of culture and chairman of the government
commission for relations with religious communities.
"I am very satisfied with the talks I had with the Holy Father face to
face, and I thanked him on Croatia's behalf for everything the Vatican
has done for Croatia," Sanader told a news conference.
"The Holy Father said he would personally support Croatia's EU entry
and said that he would discuss this with the state secretary of the
Holy See, Angelo Sodano," Sanader said, adding that he had told John
Paul II Croatia would intensify its efforts to join the EU.
The support of the Vatican's diplomacy can play a big role on that
road, the PM said, recalling that Croatia and the Holy See had been
enjoying good relations for many years, as confirmed by the pope's
three pastoral trips to Croatia. The Holy See set a precedent 12 years
ago by recognising Croatia's independence before other countries, he
added.
The audience with the pope lasted about 10 minutes and the two
interlocutors spoke in Italian, without interpreters.
After the audience with the pope, Sanader held talks with Cardinal
Sodano and the Holy See secretary for relations with States, Msgr
Giovanni Lajola.
Sodano commended the first steps Croatia's new government has taken
and reiterated the Vatican supported Croatia in the fulfilment of
strategic foreign policy goals, Foreign Minister Zuzul said, adding
that the talks with Sodano had also addressed the new, as yet
unadopted EU Constitution. Zuzul said Croatia shared the Vatican's
view in that regard, namely that the Constitution should state that
Christianity is a significant determinant of European civilisation.
Sanader invited Sodano and Lajolo to visit Croatia in the first half
of this year, which they accepted in principle.
Asked by reporters why he had chosen the Vatican for his first trip
abroad, Sanader said the trip did have symbolic significance.
Sanader and Zuzul resume their tour on Friday, when they are due to
attend the two-day international Bertelsmann Forum in Berlin, an event
that will pool senior representatives of the EU and the international
community.
Early next week Sanader will visit Brussels where he is due to meet
European Commission President Romano Prodi and other officials as well
as the new NATO Secretary-General, Joop de Hoop Schefer.
"I expect those talks will be held in a friendly atmosphere and that
in the spring the EU will give a positive opinion on Croatia's EU
entry application," said Sanader.
Croatia's new PM is also due to meet his Italian and Austrian
counterparts, Silvio Berlusconi and Wolfgang Schuessel respectively,
as well as with Slovenia's Anton Rop in Ljubljana. Sanader voiced hope
open issues with Ljubljana will be settled in a "friendly climate".
(Hina) ha sb