ZAGREB, March 21 (Hina) - A statement given by Croatian President Stipe Mesic during his visit to Slovenia prompted an official at the Croatian Foreign Ministry to suggest the drawing-up of a single platform which would be binding for
all makers of the country's foreign policy. "So far we have had a good and constructive cooperation with the President's Office, but we should still define our common stands on Croatia's most important problems regarding its foreign policy," Deputy Foreign Minister Vesna Cvjetkovic Kurelec said at a session of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs at the lower house on Tuesday. She said the joint platform would be binding for all those who were participating in Croatia's foreign policy - the ministries of foreign affairs and European integration, as well as the President's Office, members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and other parliamentari
ZAGREB, March 21 (Hina) - A statement given by Croatian President
Stipe Mesic during his visit to Slovenia prompted an official at the
Croatian Foreign Ministry to suggest the drawing-up of a single
platform which would be binding for all makers of the country's
foreign policy.
"So far we have had a good and constructive cooperation with the
President's Office, but we should still define our common stands on
Croatia's most important problems regarding its foreign policy,"
Deputy Foreign Minister Vesna Cvjetkovic Kurelec said at a session
of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs at the lower
house on Tuesday.
She said the joint platform would be binding for all those who were
participating in Croatia's foreign policy - the ministries of
foreign affairs and European integration, as well as the
President's Office, members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
and other parliamentarians.
The committee agreed with Cjetkovic Kurelec's initiative, as well
as with a proposal by Croatian Social-Liberal Party (HSLS) member
Ivo Skrabalo, for the committee to become the place of coordination
of the makers of Croatia's foreign policy.
The controversial statement by President Mesic refers to the
resolution of the problem of the sea border in Piran Bay. Some
members of the Committee believe the President should explain his
statement given yesterday in Ljubljana that Croatia's wish to keep
the existing border with Italy as it is should be reconciled with
Slovenia's wish to have access to open sea.
An independent representative and former foreign minister Mate
Granic said Mesic's statement was incomplete and asked that it be
stated whether Croatia had in the meantime changed its initial
negotiating position on Piran Bay.
Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) representative Anto Djapic said
Mesic's statement caused concern and asked that a parliamentary
session with this topic on the agenda be held. At the request of the
committee's president Zdravko Tomac, Djapic gave up this
proposal.
Social Democratic Party's (SDP) Tomac said the statement was a
'metaphor', however, he allowed for the possibility that it "might
have been slightly imprecise."
Skrabalo said that Mesic's statement was most probably only the
simplification of the problem but that it did not mean departure
from the position of the Croatian foreign policy that there can be
no changes of the border.
Vesna Pusic of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) said it is
currently most important that Croatia is not looked upon as part of
a problem but rather as part of a solution to problems in the region.
Croatia must seize that chance and show that it is ready to solve
contentious issues with Slovenia, Pusic said.
(hina) jn rml