14/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - The president of the European People's Party (EPP), Wilfried Martens, congratulated the new prime minister (re-elected), Ivo Sanader (HDZ party and member of the EPP), whose new government obtained the confidence of the new Croat parliament elected on 25 November. Martens believes that the new government under the leadership of Mr Sanader, has a “strong mandate” for concluding Croatia's negotiations for accession to the EU “by the end of 2009”. Mr Martens stressed that the country had the full support of the EPP to become the 28th member of the EU. The coalition government also has a Serbian minister in its ranks, the first since the end of the Serbo-Croat conflict of 1991-95. (H.B.)