ZAGREB, July 12 (Hina) - Regional co-operation no longer needs to be encouraged but co-ordinated, because most Stability Pact member-countries from Southeast Europe have already accepted it as an important part of their foreign
policies, Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said after talks with the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, Erhard Busek, in Zagreb on Friday.
ZAGREB, July 12 (Hina) - Regional co-operation no longer needs to be
encouraged but co-ordinated, because most Stability Pact member-
countries from Southeast Europe have already accepted it as an
important part of their foreign policies, Croatia's Foreign
Minister Tonino Picula said after talks with the Special Co-
ordinator of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, Erhard
Busek, in Zagreb on Friday. #L#
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Picula said that Busek, who
is on his first visit to Croatia since taking over from Bodo
Hombach, was a man who "is very serious about reforming the Pact".
"Three-four years since the establishment of the Stability Pact,
political circumstances have completely changed and regional co-
operation no longer needs to be encouraged but co-ordinated,"
Picula said, adding reforms to the Pact needed to include
economising.
"Countries in Southeast Europe, including Croatia, have mostly
accepted regional co-operation as a vital part of their foreign
policy identities," Picula said, adding that Croatia remained
committed to the principles on which the Pact was based, as well as
to the theory that every country also needed to keep its uniqueness
and promote national interests.
Croatia has been quite active in the Pact because it is compatible
with the Stabilisation and Association Process, one of the main
instruments of admission to the EU, and it will remain active,
Picula continued.
The foreign minister quoted Busek as saying that Croatia had to be
the forerunner in the region and commending the performance of
Croatia's Ambassador Vladimir Drobnjak in co-chairing the Pact's
3rd Working Table on Security.
The talks also addressed free trade agreements. Croatia has signed
such agreements with three countries in the region so far and will
sign similar agreements with the others soon, Picula added, noting
that to date eight of a total of 21 free trade agreements had been
signed.
Busek believed that the 21 free trade agreements would be signed by
year's end, adding that he requested further pressure on Croatia's
part so that a free trade zone could be set up in the region using the
CEFTA as an example.
Busek also said that there was mention of joint electricity
markets.
He was satisfied with steps taken by Croatia concerning refugee
returns.
He made special reference to the good indicators of cross-border
co-operation in the region, including a firefighting exercise near
Makarska and the destruction of infantry arms in Belgrade.
Co-operation with Croatia within the Stability Pact can be
estimated as exceptional, Busek said.
Asked whether the problem of financing the Pact had been resolved,
Busek said that funds existed, however, there were some problems
with processing them.
Some 5.4 billion euros has been promised, but the problem is to get
it to the field as regulations of the donor-countries as well as of
the recipient countries must be respected, which can occasionally
slow down the process, he said.
Of 2.4 billion euros earmarked for "quick-start" projects, 60
percent would be allocated this year, Busek said, noting that the
current state of each project would be known as soon as he compiled a
report, which he had to complete by year's end.
(hina) sp rml