Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Žužul, together with Defence Minister Berislav Rončević and members of the Croatian delegation will take part today at the 40th Munich Conference on the Security Policy. Foreign Minister Žužul held a speech at the Conference's second panel discussion - the Future of NATO
Minister Žužul pointed out that NATO's most successful mission was carried out precisely in the Balkans, but that it is not over yet and that NATO should continue with its activities in the region. Minister Žužul further said that he sees the future of NATO in integrating all countries of said region into the EU and NATO. He also expressed his great satisfaction that 7 new countries, among which is Slovenia, had been invited to the last NATO summit in Prague, which is particularly important for Croatia. Minister Žužul pointed out that Croatia is ready and capable of assuming full responsibility that NATO membership entails and asked for this fact to be taken into account.
In his speech, Minister Žužul also pointed out that sitting next to him are Foreign Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro, and expressed his conviction that their respective countries will welcome Croatia's future NATO membership with the same enthusiasm that Croatia welcomed Slovenia's membership. Minister Žužul added that Albania and Macedonia should not be excluded from membership considerations and repeated that Croatia readily awaits the invitation to join the Alliance.
After Minister Žužul's speech, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, in front of all present at the Conference, repeated what he said 13 January in Bruxelles to Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and Foreign Minister Miomir Žužul - that he is deeply convinced that Croatia will follow the road to full NATO membership. In his speech, Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivanić said that he fully supports Minister Žužul's statement, adding that Croatia's NATO membership would send a message of hope to Bosnia and Herzegovina that it also could have a NATO future.
At the Conference's margin, Minister Žužul had a series of meeting and talks with foreign state officials, among which were the US Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, who is to visit Zagreb tomorrow, 8 February, Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense Mira Ricardel, US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, President of the German CDU Angela Merkel, US Senator Jon Kyl, European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Elmar Brok, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, Macedonian Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva, and Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mladen Ivanić. Minister Žužul also held a longer separate bilateral meeting with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Isaac Passy, and at the end of the Conference gave an in depth interview for the Bavarian radio.
Minister of Defence Berislav Rončević held bilateral meetings with Defence Ministers of Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Ukraine and Albania, and accepted Dutch Defence Minister's invitation to visit the Netherlands.
The main goal of the 40th Munich Conference on Security Policy was to strengthen the transatlantic relations in the future, and special attention was given to mission to Afghanistan and Iraq.
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