The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia points...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia points out that yesterday's allegation made by Mr. Ivo Sanader, President of the Croatian Democratic Community, at the Press Conference in Zagreb, according to which the Croatian Government has not yet regulated the voting of Croatian citizens in Croatian diplomatic missions and consular offices, notably in the Federal Republic of Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina, are unfounded.

Apparently, these allegations are meant to suggest that Croatian citizens abroad will not be able to vote at the elections scheduled for November this year and for which the Croatian Government should take the responsibility. With a view to clarifying this issue, the Croatian Foreign Ministry issues the following information:

As a rule, the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany notifies every two years, by a circular note, all diplomatic missions and consular offices in the Federal Republic of Germany on the procedure for holding elections of a foreign country on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany. On 14 July 2003, the Croatian Embassy in Berlin received a circular note by the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany stating that the request for the approval of the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany, is to be submitted two months before holding the elections, at the latest. If the elections are scheduled too late for a timely submitting of request or because of other impediments caused by the sending country, the request may be submitted as soon as the impediments are removed. The request may be rejected if it is not received three weeks before holding the elections.

As to the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the approval of the receiving country was requested immediately after the elections were scheduled and was always granted.

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