HEADS OF STATE ADVOCATE STRONGER COOPERATION IN S-E EUROPE

CAVTAT, Dec 4 (Hina) - Regional cooperation is a priority for all Southeast European countries if they wish to become desirable partners to the European Union, said senior officials of countries in the region attending the first regional economic forum, which started in the southern Adriatic resort of Cavtat on Thursday. #L# The gathering was addressed by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and his counterparts from Serbia-Montenegro and Macedonia, Svetozar Marovic and Boris Trajkovski respectively, as well as the Chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Council of Ministers, Adnan Terzic. Mesic said the cooperation had to be promoted on bilateral and multilateral levels, but on the basis of full sovereignty of each country. Marovic said that countries in the region had to leave the past alone and build a better future for their citizens. Trajkovski agreed with Marovic, stressing that "the period of conflicts has been replaced with a period of cooperation". Terzic said that Southeast European countries had to coordinate their activities in order to improve the region's reputation. (hina) it