PORTO: PICULA SPEAKS ABOUT FIGHT AGAINST THREATS TO GENERAL SECURITY

PORTO, Dec 6 (Hina) - Democratic values, the development of institutions, economic progress, transparency and cooperation are the key factors in the fight against threats to general security, Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said in Portugal's Porto on Friday. #L# Picula made the statement at the start of the first plenary session of the 10th meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Council of Ministers. "Over the past year the world was trying to find ways to cope with new threats to security as successfully as possible, especially with the threat of international terrorism," Picula said, stressing that the complex connections between terrorism and lack of the rule of law and political and economic corruption made the task even more difficult. The new threats to security, Picula said, had confirmed the need for a comprehensive approach to the security system which the OSCE with its three-dimensional structure had been promoting since its establishment. Picula welcomed the establishment of the annual conference on security, a new mechanism which the OSCE would activate every summer to try to assess the security situation in its member- countries and give guidelines for future activities. Picula also spoke about the importance of a country's neighbourhood for its stability and prosperity. He informed the OSCE ministers about the fact that Croatia and Yugoslavia had reached an agreement on a temporary regime on the Prevlaka peninsula and reminded about the recent signing of a quadrilateral agreement between Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Yugoslavia and Croatia on navigation and cooperation along the Sava river. "These are only two examples of the maturity of our democracies and proof that our international partners can and must rely primarily on national governments and local democratic institutions which can guarantee peace and progress in Europe's south-east," Picula said. Speaking about Croatia's ambitions regarding admission to Euro- Atlantic associations, Picula said the best way to help countries in the region was the provide them with instruments which best suited their specific needs and status. "Croatia would like to raise its relations with the EU to a higher level so that it could use the instruments offered by candidacy for membership," Picula said. The OSCE provides countries which have not been yet admitted to the EU and NATO with direct access to and integration in democratic processes, which is "the only way for them to develop mutual understanding, adjust and learn to cooperate on ensuring a joint future," Picula said. "We particularly welcome plans aimed at intensifying activities in the OSCE's third, economic dimension and establishing balance among all three dimensions since they are equally important for the concept of joint security," Picula said. (hina) rml