CRO. PRESIDENT WINS CRANS MONTANA FOUNDATION AWARD

CRANS MONTANA, June 29 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Saturday received an award of the Crans Montana Forum Foundation for outstanding achievement in the promotion of peace, democracy, and international cooperation. #L# Explaining why Mesic was presented with the annual award, Foundation president and founder Jean-Paul Carteron said the Croatian head of state had made and was making a big contribution to peace and stability in Europe's south-east, and that he was a credible and good representative of his country. Speaking at the award ceremony, Mesic spoke about the struggle against terrorism, which he said was a "global challenge demanding a global response." This was one of the topics of this year's Crans Montana Forum. "The awareness that global terrorism is a threat to each of us and all of us together is present everywhere. It is becoming increasingly clear that we are dealing with a phenomenon which does not have a national or a religious aspect, even though not everybody is fully aware of this yet," said Mesic. He added that global terrorism could be opposed only by a broad alliance of states acting in compliance with the UN Charter, and even the UN mandate. Mesic called for the creation of an operative world anti-terrorist coalition which would replace the current system in which the accent was on a small group of countries. Mesic also said that a successful struggle against terrorism demanded the elimination of its sources - poverty, inequality, and lack of development. The Croatian president said he was excited about tonight's award, as well as about the fact that he was participating "in a colossal project for the creation of a united, democratic Europe in which national minorities will not obstruct but connect peoples and states." The other winners of this year's Crans Montana Forum Foundation award for outstanding achievement in the promotion of peace, democracy, and international cooperation are Turkish Economy Minister Kemal Dervis, former French minister and one-time UN secretary-general special envoy in Kosovo Bernard Kouchner, the former leader of the Economic Community of Western African States, Lansana Kouyate, and Monaco businessman and president of Monaco's Chamber for Economic Development Michel Pastor. The participants in Switzerland's 13th Crans Montana Forum adopted a special statement signed by Forum chairman Carteron and the US human rights fighter Jesse Jackson. The statement calls for combating the abuse of women and children and their dignity, bolstering the efforts of developed countries in helping Africa's development, and reducing the difference between the rich and the poor through a humane globalisation. The countries of the G8 group were called on to organise a peace conference about the Middle East. (hina) ha