Croatia’s Prime Minister Resigns

After becoming frustrated about his country’s delayed European Union membership bid, Croatia’s Prime Minister Ivo Sanader resigned from his position.

“I have decided to withdraw from active politics and will not run as a candidate for Croatian president this year,” Sanader said.

“Thank God I am not ill…and I admit that I did not accept offers for engagement in European Union institutions,” he continued.

According to Sanader, his party has agreed to appoint Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor as his immediate successor to President Stipe Mesic.

The move comes after the EU stopped accession talks last week with Zagreb due to a fight with neighboring Slovenia, which has blocked the EU process since December.

When asked if his announcement was prompted by Croatia’s delayed EU entry he said, “I certainly also had that in my mind while I was considering this decision.  The EU and the project of European integration have no chance if the principle of blackmailing is accepted as a principle of acting within the EU.”

Ten years after their independence from the former Yugoslavia, Sanader started membership talks with the EU. In addition, he was hoping his country would become the European bloc’s 28^th member by 2011.

“I am leaving satisfied since Croatia’s strategic goals have been achieved,” Sanader said.

In 2003, the fifty-six year old became the PM of Croatia, which joined the NATO military alliance earlier this year.