VN-aanklager Carla del Ponte bevestigt dat Kroatië goed meewerkt met uitlevering Gotovina (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS /LUXEMBOURG - The major obstacle to Croatia's EU bid was removed on Monday (3 October) as the UN chief prosecutor announced that Zagreb is fully co-operating with the Hague tribunal.

Carla del Ponte, prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), said in a press statement:

"I can say that, for a few weeks now, Croatia has been cooperating fully with us and is doing everything it can to locate and arrest Ante Gotovina".

"Documents, even when they are of a sensitive nature, are delivered within the deadlines and no particular conditions are attached", continues the statement.

Her words are likely to pave the way to EU entry talks with Croatia.

Zagreb was supposed to start talks in March but EU member states concluded that it was not co-operating fully enough in trying to locate the fugitive war crimes suspect general Gotovina.

The EU's conclusion was based largely on evidence given by Ms del Ponte.

Reacting to the statement, Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader said "I want to express appreciation for such a report".

"We will continue to work until Gotovina is in the Hague" he said, adding "This remains our obligation, not only internationally but also domestically. This is about the rule of law".

Mr Sanader also said that it is "up to EU ministers" to decide when entry talks with his country could start.

Croatia and Austria

Ms del Ponte's report to EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg came after she travelled to Croatia last week.

However, on Friday (30 September), following meetings with the country's president Stjepan Mesic and Mr Sanader, she offered a much bleaker assessment of Zagreb's co-operation.

"You cannot imagine how disappointed I am," she said on Friday.

"[The] prime minister has promised me full cooperation but we still have the same problem. Gotovina is still at large".

However, the issue was largely seen as being entangled with Turkey's membership bid as Austria, which has been blocking the opening of talks on Monday with Ankara until the 11th hour, made a public link between the two issues explicit last week.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel said "If we trust Turkey to make further progress, we should trust Croatia too ... it is in Europe's best interest to start negotiations with Croatia immediately".

Some commentators suggest that the breakthrough on Croatia allowed Austria to retreat from its very hard demands on Turkey's EU negotiation mandate.