"I think it was within the scope of what was expected. It would have been naive to expect that the wording that was used would not be used," Zuzul said in Brussels on Tuesday in a comment on the report by Carla del Ponte and the conclusions of the EU Council, which met in Luxembourg on Monday.
"I am confident that Croatia will be given a date in December because we will continue doing everything we have to do as a law-governed state with regard to the case of General Ante Gotovina and our cooperation with the Hague tribunal," the Croatian foreign minister said.
"In order to enter the European Union, Croatia must prove that it is a country that implements laws without choosing which laws it will implement and which citizens these laws will apply to," he added.
"As a member of the government I know that it is firmly committed to continuing this process by fulfilling its obligations, and I am confident that there will be no obstacles to the decision on the start of the negotiations with the EU," he said.
Zuzul said that the Gotovina case would be brought up until it was resolved. "If we start from this objective fact, we cannot be surprised or pessimistic about future relations between Croatia and the EU."
The minister said that Croatia had no information that Gotovina had been spotted on a beach on the Adriatic Coast in August and that such stories would keep coming up until the case was resolved.
Zuzul and European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic are due to meet several future and present European commissioners in Brussels on Tuesday, including Chris Patten, Ollie Rehn and Jan Figel.
"The purpose of our visit is to establish direct communication with new members of the Commission. We will continue working both through official and personal contacts, because I think that's the best way to negotiate," Zuzul said.