GREEK PRESS ON ATHENS MEETING OF SIMITIS, RACAN AND PERSSON

ATHENS, March 1 (Hina) - Wednesday's meeting of premiers of Greece, Croatia and Sweden, in Athens at which the EU confirmed its willingness to sign soon a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Zagreb, is an encouraging sign, according to Thursday's issues of the Greek press. The English edition of a paper "Kathimerini" reads that Greece, as the only Balkan country which is the Union's member-state, offered assistance to Croatia to take the first step on the path toward the full membership in the EU. According to the English edition of the daily "Athens News", after yesterday's meeting Greek PM Kostas Simitis said the EU would probably sign the SAA with Croatia within next two months, and expressed optimism about Zagreb's decision to fully participate in political processes in the region and in a broader European area as well. The daily quoted Swedish Premier Goeran Persson, whose country is currently holding the EU rotating presidency, as saying that this meeting presented a message that they were going back to normal in the Balkans. Persson expressed hope that Croatia and the EU would sign the SAA during the Swedish presidency, which expires on 30 June. As of 1 July this year, Greece will assume the presidency over the EU. (hina) ms