ZAGREB, March 23 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivo Sanader rejected during parliamentary question time on Tuesday the opposition's claims that his cabinet did not lead a consistent external policy, saying that the partnership and friendship
with the United States and Croatia's European Union orientation did not clash.
ZAGREB, March 23 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivo Sanader rejected during
parliamentary question time on Tuesday the opposition's claims that
his cabinet did not lead a consistent external policy, saying that the
partnership and friendship with the United States and Croatia's
European Union orientation did not clash.#L#
Sanader reiterated the government did not intend to propose to
parliament that Croatian troops be sent to Iraq.
Foreign Minister Miomir Zuzul said he was confident Croatia would
receive a positive opinion of its EU membership application even
before the three EU members which did not yet ratify Croatia's
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the Union did so
because the positive opinion did not depend on the ratification.
Replying to a question from Zdenka Babic Petricevic of the Croatian
Democratic Union, Zuzul said that intensive negotiations were being
held with Italy, Great Britain and the Netherlands on the ratification
of the SAA in their parliaments.
The definition of the opinion on the membership application, the
so-called avis, is nearing completion and Croatia expects it in
several weeks' time, Zuzul said. "I'm confident we are going in the
right direction."
Speaking of demands that quotas for imports from the EU be expanded
with the Union's enlargement, PM Sanader stressed the government would
not allow EU enlargement to crush Croatian farmers.
"We will insist that Croatia does not receive more than it has so far
and I think we'll make some improvements," he said in reply to a
question from Bozidar Pankretic of the Croatian Peasant Party.
(Hina) ha