ZAGREB, April 27 (Hina) - Croatia has assured Britain and all the others that it is cooperating with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, which has resulted in a change in the British position on ratification of Croatia's
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union, President Stjepan Mesic said on Tuesday.
ZAGREB, April 27 (Hina) - Croatia has assured Britain and all the
others that it is cooperating with the UN war crimes tribunal in The
Hague, which has resulted in a change in the British position on
ratification of Croatia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement
(SAA) with the European Union, President Stjepan Mesic said on
Tuesday.#L#
"I think we have assured the English and all the others that Croatia
is cooperating with the Hague tribunal, because all the witnesses,
suspects and indictees have responded to the summons from the
tribunal," Mesic told reporters during his visit to the National
Finance Agency.
"There is no reason to doubt that Croatia would give anyone selective
treatment when it comes to meeting its international commitments," the
President said.
On Monday evening the British Embassy in Zagreb quoted British
Minister for Europe Denis MacShane as saying that his country intended
to resume ratification of Croatia's SAA with the EU.
"This follows ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte's recent positive
assessment of Croatian cooperation and the recent assurances given to
me by the Croatian Government that this level of cooperation would be
sustained," MacShane said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in
Luxembourg on Monday.
The British minister said it was essential that Croatia should make
every effort to resolve the case of fugitive general Ante Gotovina
before a meeting of EU heads of state and government in June.
Britain suspended ratification of the SAA in October 2002 citing
Croatia's non-cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal.
(Hina) vm