Foreign Minister Žužul held a speech today before the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna

Croatian Foreign Minister Miomir Žužul held a speech today before the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna about the Croatian government's main foreign policy goals and what it intends to do to achieve them

“Top on our list of priorities is the unconditional return of all refugees, regardless of their nationality, as well as the return of their property,” said Minister Žužul, pointing out the importance of implementing the Constitutional Law on Minority Rights. Minister Žužul submitted an in-depth report to the OSCE Permanent Council on all the activities the Croatian government plans to do or is already doing in the field of justice reform, stressing that these reforms will complete the establishing of a mechanism that will enable the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia to transfer the first cases of war crimes to Croatian justice, in accordance with the recent statements by the Tribunal’s Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte. Minister Žužul also commended the successful co-operation of Croatian state bodies with the OSCE Mission in Zagreb, and paid special attention in his speech to the issues of greatest interest for OSCE – war on terrorism, international organised crime, human trafficking and mine clearance. Croatia is actively co-operating in all those areas, said Minister Žužul, pointing out that as regards the clearing of mines, Croatia developed its own special model that may serve as an example to other countries. Minister’s speech on the Croatian government priorities in the coming period was welcomed by the representatives of the EU, United States and Swiss Confederation to OSCE, expressing their belief that Croatia can be the spiritus movens of regional stability. Croatia’s entry into the EU was openly supported by the representatives of Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Serbia and Montenegro, stating that Croatia may serve as an example to the whole region. Head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia Peter Semneby especially commended the Croatian government’s treatment of minorities, as well as its constant efforts in close co-operation with the OSCE Mission.

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