Regarding the newspaper article published in Jutarnji List 28 December 2004 entitled “Journalists to blame for negative attitude towards Croatia’s NATO membership”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to state that it is one of its duties to regularly analyse public’s views on key strategic goals of the Croatian diplomacy, including those views expressed and promoted publicly regarding Croatia’s joining the North Atlantic Alliance
Monitoring the relations of the public and the media towards NATO, the Ministry holds the different views to be expectable and legitimate, and tries to provide the public with all the relevant information so as to dismiss all uninformed, inaccurate and politically coloured judgements and comments. The Ministry believes that the public is entitled to accurate, clear and objective information about all aspects of Croatia’s relations with NATO for the purposes of qualified, unburdened and informed judgements and decisions.
The article in Jutarnji List, referring without authorisation to a classified document, deals with a text which, from a standpoint of the government’s policy of improving the relations with NATO and strengthening Croatia’s strategic position through the US-Adriatic Charter and Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Croatia and EUCOM, observes certain media points of misinterpretations and presumptuous conclusions. The Ministry would like to point out once again, particularly in this context, that the media’s responsibility is to deliver accurate, complete and nonpoliticised information. At the same time, the Ministry expressed its regret if some of the qualifications from said analysis that cross the boundaries of standard expert opinion should offend some of the journalists.
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