PM: Referendum for NATO Accession Is Not Necessary

Prime Minister said there was not need for a referendum on NATO accession because it is not foreseen by the Croatian Constitution.

Replying to journalists` questions today in Split on the promise of Social Democratic Party (SDP) heads that they will hold a referendum on NATO accession when they obtain power, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said that there was no need for the NATO referendum because it not foreseen by the Croatian Constitution.

-I assess that this is a cheap election campaign trick and demagogy- evaluated the prime minister. To the question if he can do anything about the fires that have been spreading from Bosnia-Herzegovina to Croatia, the Premier responded that this was a unique case in international relations.

-I am not aware or any similar case in Europe. I will request our diplomacy to tell us. Anyway, a tighter co-operation between Croatia and BH must be affirmed, but the question is when will BH assembly its fire fighting units because our fire fighting planes were the ones to fly across the border and put out fires in BH, but without fire-fighters on the ground the fire cannot be put out- said the prime minister.

He reminded that Croatia has sent a fire fighting plane to Macedonia when fire almost entered Bitola and the Macedonian government has forwarded a gratitude note because of the fact that, as they wrote, a Croatian fire fighting plane has saved two villages in the Bitola vicinity.

-I will probably suggest to the European Commission to assembly a regional centre somewhere in Croatian, in Zadar or Divulje, which would co-ordinate actions in case of  natural disasters for south-east Europe, he said, adding that if his proposal is accepted, this centre would be financed by the European Union.