TENTH CENTRAL EUROPEAN SUMMIT ENDS

SALZBURG, May 23 (Hina) - The official part of the Tenth Central European Summit in Salzburg ended on Friday with a meeting between 17 heads of state and representatives of Europe's leading companies. #L# It was decided the next such summit would be held in Rumania next year and in 2005 in Croatia. The meeting with Europe's leading businessmen was organised for the first time in the history of the Central European Summit and in the future will become its constituent part. In attendance were representatives of 22 European companies which generate EUR650 billion annually and employ 1.6 million people. The summit focused on the competitiveness of companies from central and eastern Europe on the global market, the upgrading of the infrastructure, especially roads, and investments in education. Full agreement has been reached on supporting EU enlargement to central and east Europe, the host of the event, Austrian President Thomas Klestil, said at the closing news conference. He said that all 17 countries shared the same goals -- stability, development, and prosperity in expanded Europe. He reiterated that existing EU members would support and assist the integration of other countries. Also stressed at the Salzburg summit was the need to reform EU institutions to make the Union more transparent, more efficient, and closer to the common people. The necessity of close Europe-U.S. cooperation was also accentuated. At the closing press conference, German and Polish Presidents Johannes Rau and Alexandar Kwasniewski welcomed the adoption of a U.N. resolution lifting sanctions against Iraq. Croatian President Stjepan Mesic told Croatian reporters later he was pleased Croatia would host the Central European Summit in two years' time. He was also pleased that the talks with businessmen had not focused only on investing in tourism and banks, but also in production and the development of the infrastructure. (hina) ha sb