Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said on Wednesday that his visit to the United States helped strengthen the relationship between the two countries, noting that his talks with US officials were "substantial and successful" and that the US supported Croatia's policy in Southeast Europe.
"Croatian-American relations are excellent. The talks with Vice-President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were indeed substantial and successful, and I think that results will be seen after these talks," Josipovic told Croatian reporters in Washington.
When asked to be more specific about the results, he said that the bilateral relations were stronger, that the matters discussed were of interest to both countries, and that the visit was "beneficial from the point of view of Croatia's accession to the European Union."
When asked if it could be expected that the US would win over some of the EU allies to ensure greater support for the conclusion of accession negotiations with Croatia, Josipovic said that this should be left to "quiet diplomacy".
"Our entry into the EU first and foremost depends on how we will present ourselves to our European partners, but the support that can be provided by the US is, of course, important to us," he added.
Responding to questions from the press, Josipovic said that overall "Croatia is a success story" because in the last 20 years of its existence as an independent state it had managed to carry out many reforms, join NATO and was now close to joining the EU.
He dismissed an allusion that Croatia was "America's player in the region", stressing that "Croatia is running its own policy on its own" and that despite the important partnership with big countries such as the United States it should "stick to its own course".
Commenting on Wednesday's visit to Zagreb by the Hague tribunal's chief prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, Josipovic said he did not think there should be any problems because "Croatia has done everything in its power."
Josipovic said that Croatia faced the tribunal's verdict against generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac in a dignified manner, respecting international legal institutions and its own obligations under international law.
He said that during his meeting with US deputy ambassador for war crimes Diane Orentlicher they concurred that Croatia was fully cooperating with the tribunal and that, in his opinion, Brammertz should share that view.
Josipovic concluded by saying that he was returning to Croatia pleased and that it was always possible to improve the otherwise excellent relations between Croatia and the United States.
