Sanader takes parting swipe at Slovenia

Outgoing Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader says that Slovenia’s blockade of Zagreb’s EU negotiations was one of the reasons for his withdrawal from politics. Addressing a Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) congress, he called on the EU to put an end “to this insane theater that Slovenia is trying to create.” Sanader takes parting swipe at Slovenia The HDZ is today selecting a new leadership after Sanader tendered his resignation from both the premiership and the party leadership. He issued a stark warning to Slovenia: “You won’t get a centimeter of Croatian territory.” “There’ll be no sale of Croatian territory. Despite your non-European policy and your policy of blackmail, you won’t succeed. Croatia will enter the EU and Slovenia will have to vote for it too,” Sanader declared to a standing ovation. “This government is already into its second mandate, and the HDZ in particular has managed to show the European public that Croats have been espousing European values for centuries. We are Europe and we belong there, and our place is there. Sadly, some don’t see it that way, and others hope to coerce Croatia into something through a policy of blackmail,” he said. “There is no alternative to the project of EU unification. The only alternative can be conflicts and wars,” said the outgoing prime minister. In sharp contrast to his statement to the working part of the congress where he outlined the reasons for his resignation, Sanader’s address to the ceremonial part of the event was rather understated, in the opinion of Croatian media, and was not greeted with any long ovation or chanting. He took that opportunity to dwell on the HDZ’s activities during the Nineties and called on party members to keep up the good work, in anticipation of the party’s first female leader, stressing that the HDZ had never shirked any challenge set before it. According to reports, the HDZ congress is due to elect Jadranka Kosor as its party president. Darko Milinovic is the favorite for the post of HDZ deputy president, while Vladimir Seks, Ivan Jarnjak, Andrija Hebrang, Ivan Suker, Bozidar Kalmeta and Petar Cobankovic are in the running for the vice-presidential positions. Ivo Sanader (FoNet, archive) Mesic invites Kosor to form new govt. Croatian President Stjepan Mesic has given the mandate for forming a new government to serving Deputy PM Jadranka Kosor of the Croatian Democratic Union. Outgoing Prime Minister Ivo Sanader tendered his resignation from the post—that he has held since 2003—on Wednesday. Following talks with all the MP clubs, Mesic established that Kosor had the necessary support of the parliamentary majority. At the same time, the president dismissed the calls of the center-left opposition, spearheaded by the Social Democratic Party and the Croatian National Party, for early elections, stating that the existing parliamentary majority was legitimate, and that Sanader’s resignation would not call this into question. He said that Croatia, under Kosor, had to continue the reforms under way, the struggle against corruption and organized crime, but also the process of the return of refugees. Mesic stressed that Croatia’s new government must not renounce its anti-fascist foundations, nor the key tenets of its foreign policy, which, according to the president, had furthered the country’s reputation and authenticity in the international arena. Accepting the mandate, Kosor (56) announced a budget review and voiced her expectations that negotiations on Croatia’s EU integration would be unfrozen by the end of the year. Slovenia has blocked further EU talks with Zagreb over the border dispute between the two former Yugoslav republics. The members of the ruling coalition—the Croatian Peasants’ Party, the Croatian Social Liberal Party and the Croatian Pensioners’ Party—have given their endorsement to Kosor, stating that they believe she will be a successful prime minister. She has also received unconditional support from three of the eight minority community MPs in Croatia—Hungarian MP Denes Soja, Roma Nazif Memedi and Bosniak Semso Tankovic—who are happy with the cooperation with the government thus far. Italian MP Furio Radin has withheld his support, however, and his vote will depend on talks with Kosor and an analysis of the implementation of the coalition agreement put together after the 2007 parliamentary elections. The three Serb MPs from the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS)—Milorad Pupovac, Mile Horvat and Ratko Gajica—and the Czech and Slovak representative have given conditional support. Pupovac said that, prior to giving Kosor its backing, the SDSS wanted to hold consultations regarding the coalition agreement signed in early 2008. The Serbs’ other condition will be the establishment of a coalition council that the government will consult with prior to taking important decisions.

Sanader takes parting swipe at Slovenia

The HDZ is today selecting a new leadership after Sanader tendered his resignation from both the premiership and the party leadership.

He issued a stark warning to Slovenia: “You won’t get a centimeter of Croatian territory.”

“There’ll be no sale of Croatian territory. Despite your non-European policy and your policy of blackmail, you won’t succeed. Croatia will enter the EU and Slovenia will have to vote for it too,” Sanader declared to a standing ovation.

“This government is already into its second mandate, and the HDZ in particular has managed to show the European public that Croats have been espousing European values for centuries. We are Europe and we belong there, and our place is there. Sadly, some don’t see it that way, and others hope to coerce Croatia into something through a policy of blackmail,” he said.

“There is no alternative to the project of EU unification. The only alternative can be conflicts and wars,” said the outgoing prime minister.

In sharp contrast to his statement to the working part of the congress where he outlined the reasons for his resignation, Sanader’s address to the ceremonial part of the event was rather understated, in the opinion of Croatian media, and was not greeted with any long ovation or chanting.

He took that opportunity to dwell on the HDZ’s activities during the Nineties and called on party members to keep up the good work, in anticipation of the party’s first female leader, stressing that the HDZ had never shirked any challenge set before it.

According to reports, the HDZ congress is due to elect Jadranka Kosor as its party president.

Darko Milinović is the favorite for the post of HDZ deputy president, while Vladimir Šeks, Ivan Jarnjak, Andrija Hebrang, Ivan Šuker, Božidar Kalmeta and Petar Čobanković are in the running for the vice-presidential positions.

Mesić invites Kosor to form new govt.

Croatian President Stjepan Mesić has given the mandate for forming a new government to serving Deputy PM Jadranka Kosor of the Croatian Democratic Union.

Outgoing Prime Minister Ivo Sanader tendered his resignation from the post—that he has held since 2003—on Wednesday.

Following talks with all the MP clubs, Mesić established that Kosor had the necessary support of the parliamentary majority.

At the same time, the president dismissed the calls of the center-left opposition, spearheaded by the Social Democratic Party and the Croatian National Party, for early elections, stating that the existing parliamentary majority was legitimate, and that Sanader’s resignation would not call this into question.

He said that Croatia, under Kosor, had to continue the reforms under way, the struggle against corruption and organized crime, but also the process of the return of refugees.

Mesić stressed that Croatia’s new government must not renounce its anti-fascist foundations, nor the key tenets of its foreign policy, which, according to the president, had furthered the country’s reputation and authenticity in the international arena.

Accepting the mandate, Kosor (56) announced a budget review and voiced her expectations that negotiations on Croatia’s EU integration would be unfrozen by the end of the year.

Slovenia has blocked further EU talks with Zagreb over the border dispute between the two former Yugoslav republics.

The members of the ruling coalition—the Croatian Peasants’ Party, the Croatian Social Liberal Party and the Croatian Pensioners’ Party—have given their endorsement to Kosor, stating that they believe she will be a successful prime minister.

She has also received unconditional support from three of the eight minority community MPs in Croatia—Hungarian MP Denes Šoja, Roma Nazif Memedi and Bosniak Šemso Tanković—who are happy with the cooperation with the government thus far.

Italian MP Furio Radin has withheld his support, however, and his vote will depend on talks with Kosor and an analysis of the implementation of the coalition agreement put together after the 2007 parliamentary elections.

The three Serb MPs from the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS)—Milorad Pupovac, Mile Horvat and Ratko Gajica—and the Czech and Slovak representative have given conditional support.

Pupovac said that, prior to giving Kosor its backing, the SDSS wanted to hold consultations regarding the coalition agreement signed in early 2008.

The Serbs’ other condition will be the establishment of a coalition council that the government will consult with prior to taking important decisions.