Czech prime minister backs Croatia's bids to join EU, NATO

Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, who is on a visit to Croatia, has expressed support for Croatia's bid to join the European Union by 2009, a little over three years after the start of negotiations between Zagreb and Brussels. Mr Paroubek said that Croatia could become a full member of the EU at the beginning of 2009 during the Czech Republic's presidency of the Union. Prime Minister Paroubek also told reporters after a meeting with his Croatian counterpart Ivo Sanader that the Czech Republic supported Croatia's bid to join NATO. The two prime ministers also discussed boosting cooperation in trade. Mr Paroubek said that trade exchange between the two states amounts to 500 million dollars and that Croatia attracts an estimated 700,000 Czech tourists annually.