VILNIUS GROUP TO CONTINUE COOPERATING UNTIL ADMISSION INTO NATO

PRAGUE, Nov 21 (Hina) - The Presidents of Macedonia, Croatia, and Albania, Boris Trajkovski, Stjepan Mesic and Alfred Moisiu, agreed in Prague on Thursday that their three countries would continue to co-operate in bids to be accepted into NATO. #L# The Vilnius Group will not cease to exist until all its member countries become NATO members, the three presidents said following a meeting at which the Macedonian President presented an initiative of co-operation between these three countries on their path to NATO, which was supported by the Croatian and Albanian Presidents. The aim is to achieve a greater level of trust and co-operation, particularly with regard to reforms in the defence sector, the issue of borders and regional crime, the Macedonian initiative noted. These countries are expected to set up a partnership that will guarantee that all three will be ready for the next round of NATO expansion, the initiative further added. "The initiative presented by President Trajkovski is acceptable and we will formalise our co-operation," Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said following the meeting. Croatia, Macedonia and Albania are the only three countries of the Vilnius Group that were not invited to join NATO at today's summit in Prague. The general secretary of the alliance, George Robertson, invited Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Rumania, Slovakia and Slovenia to join NATO, which was supported by acclamation from the presidents and premiers of NATO countries. "We must not be discouraged because we did not enter NATO in this package, but this compels us in some way to improve our co-operation and to make better use of all that we can to help each other to better adopt and implement standards that exist in other NATO countries," President Mesic said. "In that way we will come closer to the European Union, which is our strategic aim," he added. (hina) sp/ha sb