There is still hope of entering the EU in 2007

(...) Has Croatia said goodbye to the possibility of entering the EU in 2007?
Croatia has said goodbye to nothing. Neither did Great Britain give up its principle it has been sticking to all this time, and that is that full co-operation with the Hague is a necessity that indicates the level of maturity on one’s way to meeting the EU standards, nor did Croatia give up on trying to present the situation around general Gotovina as it really is. We showed that we did everything we could and that there is no reason for us to be punished on our way to the EU. Now, whether it will happen in 2007 or 2008 depends on the EU’s expansion policy.

You still think that 2007 will be the year of entering the EU, despite the fact that two countries still have not ratified the SAA?
Absolutely. We will do away with this episode, but we have to remain serious to show our European maturity.

Does this mean that Great Britain will go strictly by Carla del Ponte’s report on our co-operation with the Hague, regardless of whether it is positive or negative?
The meeting with Carla del Ponte, her report and her influence will, of course, play a crucial role, but we have presented our arguments to the British government that might indicate the carrying on of the SAA ratification. Of course, there is no point in denying that Carla del Ponte’s opinion will be of extreme importance.

What might effect a possible change of Britain’s opinion? What Croatia’s arguments are you counting on?
We will show what we have done to meet the demands coming from the Hague, as well as discuss the issues that are still open. The plausibility of our argumentation will affect Carla del Ponte’s opinion, and that in turn will affect the British government’s decision about the ratification.

Has the Social Democratic party (SDP) received Tony Blair’s support for the forthcoming parliamentary elections?
Of course. The Labour Party and the SDP are closely related and Blair’s support was unquestionable. We talked about how the Labourists would help us, because we agreed that it is not easy for social democrats to come to power in these difficult transitional conditions, and even harder to hold on and win another elections.