Croatia "won't blackmail neighbors" - president

Croatia "won't blackmail neighbors" - president

BELGRADE -- Croatian President Ivo Josipović said that his country would not put obstacles on Serbia's path towards membership in the European Union.

Josipović also noted that participation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a meeting of Southeastern European countries, on July 15 in Dubrovnik, "shows support for EU enlargement."

In an interview with the Belgrade daily Večernje Novosti on the eve of the third meeting of the "Brdo-Brioni" process, where further enlargement of the European Union will be discussed, Josipović said that Merkel's arrival means that the EU wants to continue to expand in the Balkans.

He stressed that the Croatian parliament adopted a declaration "which clearly indicates that neighbors will not be blackmailed or their efforts to join the EU hampered," but added that resolution of outstanding issues would be important when assessing fulfillment of membership conditions.

"By that I do not mean that Croatia would blackmail its neighbors, but that the ability to resolve outstanding issues with neighbors will be an important test for all of us," he said.

The Croatian president added that the main message of the meeting in Dubrovnik would be that "the EU considers the whole region to be part of Europe and that the future of all countries of the region is in the EU."

"Of course, candidates will have to meet serious conditions. Discussions about joint efforts to build infrastructure, European energy policy and the place of Southeast Europe, as well as issues of cooperation in the region, are a clear sign of such a political standpoint," said Josipović.

He added that "the policy of good neighborly...