ZAGREB, March 22 (Hina) - There are no differences in opinions of the Government and the President of the Republic on Croatia's foreign policy, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said after a working dinner with President Stjepan Mesic and
Parliament President Vladimir Seks on Monday.
ZAGREB, March 22 (Hina) - There are no differences in opinions of the
Government and the President of the Republic on Croatia's foreign
policy, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said after a working dinner with
President Stjepan Mesic and Parliament President Vladimir Seks on
Monday.#L#
There is no problem between parliament and the President or between me
and the President, and there is no need for amending the Constitution,
PM Sanader said.
Under the constitution's provision, the President and the Government
together create a foreign policy. The parliament president has said
that this provision does not mention mechanisms for co-creating the
foreign policy, but good practice shows that a lack of the mechanism
is irrelevant as we cooperate very well, Sanader said.
"We want to be efficient in the practice protecting Croatia's national
interests," President Mesic said.
Answering a reporter's question, Mesic said that he had talked to
Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul who also attended the dinner and who
explained Mesic how he presented his stand during his official visit
to Israel last week.
Mesic added that he told Zuzul which position Croatia should abide by
and that "Croatia starts from the reality of the Israeli state. It is
a reality and everybody who thinks that something can be there changed
forcibly is wrong. Thus, we must accept Israel as a reality, and
Minister Zuzul agrees with this and this is the Croatian policy," It
is also a reality that Palestinians have the right to have their
state. Our policy accepts this as a reality, and Croatia is recognised
as having this policy, Mesic said adding that Palestinians and
Israelis should be let decide who will negotiate and how.
Mesic told reporters that he had informed Sanader, Seks and Zuzul of
the visits he paid to Qatar, Syria and Jordan last week. He added that
the three Arab countries were interested in economic cooperation with
Croatia and in using Croatian ports as a gateway to the European
market.
Explaining his statement, parliament head Seks said he did not propose
the changing of the Constitution but that he had pointed to
contradictions in the Constitution's provision on the authorities of
the President and PM in co-creating the foreign policy.
Recalling that earlier in the day Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was
killed, which the EU already condemned, a reporter asked Croatian
Premier and President about their official stands.
"We are considering all pieces of information about this and in
compliance with its commitment to be part of the European policy and
community, Croatia will be in line with the European policy and the
EU," Sanader said.
This is roughly the answer, Mesic said adding that Croatia opposed the
use of violence as means to solve problems.
Asked to comment on speculation that the Hague-based UN war crimes
tribunal would issue an indictment against General Milivoj Petkovic,
the Croatian Army's chief inspector, Sanader declined to answer that
hypothetical question, adding that if any new indictment arrived,
Zagreb would act in accordance with the Constitutional Law on
Cooperation with the ICTY (tribunal).
Asked to assess the work of secret agencies, he said a high degree of
agreement on the matter existed.
(Hina) ms