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1941 - Nazi Germany invades. A 'Greater Croatia' is formed, also comprising most of Bosnia and western Serbia. A fascist puppet government is installed under Ante Pavelic. The regime acts brutally against Serbs and Jews as it seeks to create a Catholic, all-Croat republic. Hundreds of thousands lose their lives.
EU warning to Turkey, Croatia on membership
Published: Saturday, 3 September, 2005, 12:08 PM Doha Time
NEWPORT, Wales: European Union foreign ministers wound up a two-day informal meeting in Wales yesterday by sending strong warnings to Turkey and Croatia on their separate bids to join the 25 nation bloc.
EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn told reporters Ankara would face continuing pressure to normalise ties with Cyprus despite the expected October 3 start of EU membership talks.
Full implementation of an EU-Turkey customs union pact to include Cyprus was a matter of “extremely serious concern” for the entire 25-nation bloc, Rehn insisted.
“Clearly this is a red line for the EU – this is not a matter of negotiation, it is a matter of commitment by Turkey,” Rehn said. Ankara must not speculate on “any wavering” by the EU on issues like granting Cypriot ships full access to Turkish ports, he said.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who invited Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to the Newport meeting, said he was “reasonably confident” membership negotiations with Turkey would open as scheduled on October 3.
A promise by EU leaders last December to start talks with Ankara on the agreed date would be respected, Straw insisted.
“Leaders were very clear that they looked forward to the start of negotiations,” he said.
However, a formal EU thumbs-up to the start of talks hinges on approval of an official framework for negotiations and agreement on a declaration on Turkey’s future dealings with Cyprus.
Rehn insisted that negotiations with Turkey would focus on full membership, not a “privileged partnership” as demanded by the Austrian government and German conservative opposition leader Angela Merkel.
A separate EU declaration will demand that Turkey ensures a quick “de jure” normalisation of ties with Cyprus.
Diplomats said the statement – a response to Ankara’s declaration that customs union with Cyprus did not imply recognition of Nicosia – would include provisions for a permanent monitoring of the deal.
Rehn warned Turkey that demands for a watered down partnership rather than EU accession would continue to be part of the EU debate for several years.
He said Turkey should see such demands as an incentive to press ahead with meeting membership commitments “to the letter”.
Separately, EU ministers warned that Croatia’s bid to open membership talks still hinged on full cooperation with the international war crimes tribunal.
But Croatian Foreign Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, in Newport to plead personally for a quick start of negotiations, said Zagreb was doing its best to meet EU demands.
“We believe we are putting in a maximum effort into resolving this issue,” told reporters in Newport.
EU officials, led by the bloc’s British presidency, will meet in September to evaluate Zagreb’s compliance with the International Criminal Court on the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
“We hope we can clear the way (for negotiations) but it remains to be seen if this is possible, said Straw.
Rehn said the EU was “ready to start negotiations on the same day as Croatia achieves full co-operation” with the war crimes court.
An EU “task force” set up to evaluate Croatia’s compliance with the ICTY will receive a report from the court’s chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte in September and then decide whether Zagreb meets the membership criteria.
Austria and Hungary are leading calls for an early start to membership talks with Croatia. – DPA
Greece holds wanted Croat tycoon
Hrvoje Petrac and four other Croats are banned from the EU
Greece has arrested a Croatian businessman wanted in connection with the fugitive war crimes suspect General Ante Gotovina.
The Croatian justice ministry has now asked Greece to extradite Hrvoje Petrac, 50, who was held on Wednesday in north-western Greece.
He was on a boat heading for Italy. He has been sentenced in absentia to six years in jail for kidnapping a boy.
Croatia suspects Mr Petrac of being a key protector of Gen Gotovina.
The European Union has postponed talks on Croatia's EU entry because of Zagreb's failure to arrest Gen Gotovina.
He has been indicted by the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, accused of murdering Serb civilians during an operation to expel Serb forces from the Krajina region of Croatia in 1995.
Earlier this year Mr Petrac - now held in the port of Igoumenitsa - was sentenced in absentia by a Zagreb court for kidnapping the son of a former Croatian deputy defence minister and holding him to ransom.
The Croatian Foreign Minister, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, was in Brussels this week explaining what Croatia was doing to locate Gen Gotovina.
EU warning to Turkey, Croatia on membership
Published: Saturday, 3 September, 2005, 12:08 PM Doha Time
NEWPORT, Wales: European Union foreign ministers wound up a two-day informal meeting in Wales yesterday by sending strong warnings to Turkey and Croatia on their separate bids to join the 25 nation bloc.
EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn told reporters Ankara would face continuing pressure to normalise ties with Cyprus despite the expected October 3 start of EU membership talks.
Full implementation of an EU-Turkey customs union pact to include Cyprus was a matter of “extremely serious concern” for the entire 25-nation bloc, Rehn insisted.
“Clearly this is a red line for the EU – this is not a matter of negotiation, it is a matter of commitment by Turkey,” Rehn said. Ankara must not speculate on “any wavering” by the EU on issues like granting Cypriot ships full access to Turkish ports, he said.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who invited Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to the Newport meeting, said he was “reasonably confident” membership negotiations with Turkey would open as scheduled on October 3.
A promise by EU leaders last December to start talks with Ankara on the agreed date would be respected, Straw insisted.
“Leaders were very clear that they looked forward to the start of negotiations,” he said.
However, a formal EU thumbs-up to the start of talks hinges on approval of an official framework for negotiations and agreement on a declaration on Turkey’s future dealings with Cyprus.
Rehn insisted that negotiations with Turkey would focus on full membership, not a “privileged partnership” as demanded by the Austrian government and German conservative opposition leader Angela Merkel.
A separate EU declaration will demand that Turkey ensures a quick “de jure” normalisation of ties with Cyprus.
Diplomats said the statement – a response to Ankara’s declaration that customs union with Cyprus did not imply recognition of Nicosia – would include provisions for a permanent monitoring of the deal.
Rehn warned Turkey that demands for a watered down partnership rather than EU accession would continue to be part of the EU debate for several years.
He said Turkey should see such demands as an incentive to press ahead with meeting membership commitments “to the letter”.
Separately, EU ministers warned that Croatia’s bid to open membership talks still hinged on full cooperation with the international war crimes tribunal.
But Croatian Foreign Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, in Newport to plead personally for a quick start of negotiations, said Zagreb was doing its best to meet EU demands.
“We believe we are putting in a maximum effort into resolving this issue,” told reporters in Newport.
EU officials, led by the bloc’s British presidency, will meet in September to evaluate Zagreb’s compliance with the International Criminal Court on the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
“We hope we can clear the way (for negotiations) but it remains to be seen if this is possible, said Straw.
Rehn said the EU was “ready to start negotiations on the same day as Croatia achieves full co-operation” with the war crimes court.
An EU “task force” set up to evaluate Croatia’s compliance with the ICTY will receive a report from the court’s chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte in September and then decide whether Zagreb meets the membership criteria.
Austria and Hungary are leading calls for an early start to membership talks with Croatia. – DPA
Greece holds wanted Croat tycoon
Hrvoje Petrac and four other Croats are banned from the EU
Greece has arrested a Croatian businessman wanted in connection with the fugitive war crimes suspect General Ante Gotovina.
The Croatian justice ministry has now asked Greece to extradite Hrvoje Petrac, 50, who was held on Wednesday in north-western Greece.
He was on a boat heading for Italy. He has been sentenced in absentia to six years in jail for kidnapping a boy.
Croatia suspects Mr Petrac of being a key protector of Gen Gotovina.
The European Union has postponed talks on Croatia's EU entry because of Zagreb's failure to arrest Gen Gotovina.
He has been indicted by the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, accused of murdering Serb civilians during an operation to expel Serb forces from the Krajina region of Croatia in 1995.
Earlier this year Mr Petrac - now held in the port of Igoumenitsa - was sentenced in absentia by a Zagreb court for kidnapping the son of a former Croatian deputy defence minister and holding him to ransom.
The Croatian Foreign Minister, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, was in Brussels this week explaining what Croatia was doing to locate Gen Gotovina.
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