BRUSSELS, Feb 24 (Hina) - Croatia can be a bridge between the European Union and NATO on the one side and the remaining countries of Southeast Europe on the other, Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul said in Brussels on
Tuesday.
BRUSSELS, Feb 24 (Hina) - Croatia can be a bridge between the European
Union and NATO on the one side and the remaining countries of
Southeast Europe on the other, Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul
said in Brussels on Tuesday.#L#
Zuzul was speaking at a working lunch organised by the Royal Institute
for International Relations (IRRI) about the efforts of his government
to bring Croatia closer to Euro-Atlantic institutions and about the
situation in Southeast Europe, the region that will stay outside the
EU after its enlargement. The event was attended by many diplomats and
political analysts.
Zuzul said that the Croatian government was aware of the criteria it
had to meet to achieve its ambitious goals regarding European
integration, stressing three areas it would focus on: cooperation with
the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, the return of refugees and
judicial reform.
"We are aware of the problems we have to solve," the foreign minister
said, adding that the new Croatian government had established good
relations with the Hague tribunal and that the issue of cooperation
with the tribunal had been transferred from the political to the legal
level.
Zuzul pointed out that Croatia would fully cooperate with the Hague
tribunal and that the government was not trying to evade
responsibility in the case of indicted general Ante Gotovina, but that
it could not accept to be blamed for something it could not do.
Zuzul said he expected the NATO summit in Istanbul to note the
progress Croatia had made in getting closer to this organisation.
(Hina) vm sb