Asked by the press on Friday if there was any need for Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor to attend a meeting of the National Committee overseeing Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union, Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic said one should talk but that it was too early to say how the talks would be held.
The chairwoman of the National Committee, Vesna Pusic, recently sent letters to Kosor and President Ivo Josipovic with an initiative to step up efforts to complete the EU entry talks in June, namely to meet the remaining nine benchmarks in the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights negotiation chapter.
Jandrokovic recalled that Kosor had invited the opposition to come to the government for a meeting on the entry talks but that only two officials came. "Unfortunately, those inviting today didn't come."
He stressed it was important that the government and the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry engage in diplomatic political activities. Kosor recently visited Brussels and Copenhagen.
Jandrokovic said parliament should also become involved in those activities as well as oversee everything the government was doing to carry out reforms and meet the entry talks benchmarks.
Asked if there was anything new in Pusic's memo that the government did not know before, he said that there was not, adding that Pusic's proposal was based on the action plan the government adopted following the European Commission's progress report on the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter.
Asked if that meant that Kosor would not attend the National Committee meeting, Jandrokovic said, "We'll see."
