PRESIDENT MESIC COMMENTS ON ECONOMIC ZONE

OHRID, Aug 29 (Hina) - Under the relevant international convention any country with access to open sea has the right to proclaim an economic zone there, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in Ohrid on Friday when asked to comment on Serbia and Montenegro Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic's reported avoiding to sign a declaration suggesting Croatia's plans to declare such a zone be opposed. #L# "You know that under the international convention any country which has access to open sea can proclaim an economic zone on its own," Mesic said in a brief interview with Croatian reporters at the margins of a UNESCO forum on dialogue among civilisations. The Ljubljana-based daily "Delo" has reported that Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel informed Serbia and Montenegro's Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic of such a draft declaration at a meeting in Belgrade today. "It is only fair to inform all those gravitating towards the Adriatic Sea of that, but we will make our own decision," Mesic said, adding that he had hot been informed about the course of the Belgrade meeting. This morning, participants in the Ohrid conference were addressed by the presidents of eight South-East European countries (Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro) and the new UN Civil Administrator in Kosovo, Harri Holkeri. The Croat member of Bosnia's collective state presidency, Dragan Covic, who is replacing the Serb member Borislav Paravac, initially scheduled to attend, said in his address that honest dialogue among peoples and minorities was very important for the building of a modern and democratic society and final and true reconciliation among Bosnia's peoples. Mesic is expected to meet UNESCO Director Koichiro Matsuura during the day. (hina) rml