13TH CRANS MONTANA FORUM BEGINS

CRANS MONTANA, June 27 (Hina) - The 13th Crans Montana Forum, being held under the title, "Social Responsibility - A Response to the Frustrations of the Twentieth Century: Towards a More Humane World", was opened on Thursday afternoon in the Swiss alpine Crans Montana resort. #L# This political and business event closes on Sunday. It has pooled about 1,200 businessmen and representatives of states, international and non-governmental organisations from more than 120 countries, including Croatia which, alongside Rwanda and the Ivory Coast, is attending as guest. The founder and president of the Crans Montana Forum, Jean Paul Carteron, emphasised that the social dimension was very significant in this time of globalisation. The human being must be taken into consideration in every activity that occurs in the economy world, Carteron said. He stated that the fight against terrorism and, in that regard, the settlement of the Palestinian issue, continued to be one of the greatest challenges to the modern world. The Croatian delegation is headed by President Stjepan Mesic who will arrive in Crans Montana on Friday afternoon and will participate in the event on Saturday. The delegation also consists of Tourism Minister Pave Zupan Ruskovic, European Integration Minister Neven Mimica, Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction Minister Radimir Cacic, as well as officials from the economy and foreign ministries. (hina) sp sb