BRUSSELS, Oct 10 (Hina) - European Union foreign ministers will meet in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss the situation in countries covered by the Stabilisation and Association process (SAp) and adopt conclusions on the need to
strengthen cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague and on the Croatian parliament's decision to declare a protected fishing and ecological zone in the Adriatic, the Italian EU Presidency said on Friday.
BRUSSELS, Oct 10 (Hina) - European Union foreign ministers will
meet in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss the situation in countries
covered by the Stabilisation and Association process (SAp) and
adopt conclusions on the need to strengthen cooperation with the UN
war crimes tribunal in The Hague and on the Croatian parliament's
decision to declare a protected fishing and ecological zone in the
Adriatic, the Italian EU Presidency said on Friday. #L#
The Italian Ambassador to the EU, Umberto Vattani, said that the
meeting, which is part of preparations for the upcoming EU summit,
to be held in Brussels on October 16 and 17, would also address the
situation in the five South-East European countries covered by the
SAp and adopt conclusions, with emphasis on the need for those
countries to improve cooperation with the war crimes tribunal.
The ministers will also discuss regional cooperation, particularly
Croatia's decision to declare a protected fishing and ecological
zone in the Adriatic.
The EU ministers will be joined by the chief prosecutor of the UN
tribunal, Carla Del Ponte, who yesterday submitted her annual
report on cooperation between concerned countries and the tribunal
to the UN Security Council.
She said in the report that the cooperation offered by former
Yugoslav countries did not meet her expectations. Speaking about
Croatia, she objected to the failure of Croatian authorities to
arrest runaway general Ante Gotovina.
Cooperation with The Hague-based tribunal and progress in the
process of refugee return are the main requirements Croatia has to
meet to be granted EU candidate status and to start talks on full
membership, it was said in Brussels yesterday, when Croatian PM
Ivica Racan submitted Croatia's answers to the EC questionnaire.
Asked by a Croatian reporter why Croatia's decision on the fishing
and ecological zone was criticised if it was in line with
international conventions, Ambassador Vattani said that decisions
which disregarded the interests of others, and the EU rules of
conduct, primarily dialogue, were not acceptable.
(hina) rml