ZAGREB, March 23 (Hina) - Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic on Thursday evening held talks with NATO Secretary-General's assistant in the defence planning and operations, Mr. Edgar Buckley, on Croatia's participation in the
Partnership for Peace programme (PfP) and the adjustment of the country's armed forces to the Alliance's standards. The two interlocutors also discussed the situation in the region. Buckley, who arrived in Zagreb at the helm of a NATO delegation that should assess the progress Croatia has so far made in the PfP, today is going to meet other senior Croatian officials and discuss with them objectives which Zagreb should accomplish in the coming five years within the PfP. It is a part of processes which should help the Croatian army become compatible with the forces of NATO so that Croatia can efficiently take part in NATO's operations and contribute to the stability in the region,
ZAGREB, March 23 (Hina) - Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic on
Thursday evening held talks with NATO Secretary-General's
assistant in the defence planning and operations, Mr. Edgar
Buckley, on Croatia's participation in the Partnership for Peace
programme (PfP) and the adjustment of the country's armed forces to
the Alliance's standards.
The two interlocutors also discussed the situation in the region.
Buckley, who arrived in Zagreb at the helm of a NATO delegation that
should assess the progress Croatia has so far made in the PfP, today
is going to meet other senior Croatian officials and discuss with
them objectives which Zagreb should accomplish in the coming five
years within the PfP.
It is a part of processes which should help the Croatian army become
compatible with the forces of NATO so that Croatia can efficiently
take part in NATO's operations and contribute to the stability in
the region, Buckley told reporters last night.
President Mesic and he considered the developments in Bosnia-
Herzegovina and the situation at the Kosovo-Macedonian border
where Albanian rebels have been clashing with Macedonian forces
this week.
Asked to comment NATO's reluctance to interfere in the armed
conflict at the Macedonian-Kosovo frontier, Buckley answered the
Alliance was doing much to control the situation in Macedonia.
KFOR (NATO-led international peace keepers in Kosovo) is very
active to prevent extremists from moving from Kosovo to Macedonia.
We are contacting all countries in the region, including Albania to
help control border-lines, he claimed.
He added that NATO facilitated the co-ordination between
Macedonian forces and KFOR and would continue investing efforts to
stop the clashes.
The security zone has never been imagined as a shelter for
extremists, Buckley responded briefly to a question whether
Yugoslav and Serbian forces have become allies to NATO regarding
the approval of their return to the security zone in Kosovo.
This zone is decreased as changes took place in Serbia which now has
democratic authorities, he said.
(hina) ms