BUCHAREST, April 29 (Hina) - Croatia is committed to regional cooperation in the Danube River basin and proves its commitment by being ready to participate in the cleaning of the Danube with the aim of restoring navigation on this
river, Croatia's Minister of Environmental Protection Bozo Kovacevic said on Sunday in Bucharest, where he is attending a summit on environmental protection in the Danube-Carpathian region.
BUCHAREST, April 29 (Hina) - Croatia is committed to regional
cooperation in the Danube River basin and proves its commitment by
being ready to participate in the cleaning of the Danube with the
aim of restoring navigation on this river, Croatia's Minister of
Environmental Protection Bozo Kovacevic said on Sunday in
Bucharest, where he is attending a summit on environmental
protection in the Danube-Carpathian region. #L#
Kovacevic is participating in a ministerial conference of the
countries of the Danube-Carpathian region, which is being held on
the first day of the two-day summit on environmental protection and
sustainable development in the region.
Along with environmental protection ministers, the Bucharest
meeting will be gather most of the 14 presidents of the Danube basin
countries and Carpathian region who have been invited to the
summit, as well as representatives from numerous international
organisations, financial institutions and non-government
organisations for environmental protection.
Restoring navigation on the Danube could stimulate business
activities in Croatia, Kovacevic said, adding the summit should
contribute to removing the consequences of the war in the former
Yugoslavia and restoring navigation on the Danube as well as to
securing transborder cooperation in environmental protection.
Croatia, which is particularly interested in such cooperation in
the Kopacki Rit (marshland) area, has started talks on this matter
with Hungary and is to start talks with Yugoslavia. The resolution
of this problem is currently hampered by the fact that the area is
mine-infested.
The Stability Pact for South-East Europe does not include concrete
projects of environmental protection, Kovacevic said objecting
that the U.N. Programme of Environmental Protection focused on
removing war consequences in Yugoslavia while Croatia was being
ignored.
In his speech at the conference, Kovacevic stressed the positive
aspects of sustainable economy and preservation of exceptional
diversity of plants and animal species, particularly those in rare
ecosystems in northern Croatia, as an integral part of the Danube
basin.
Kovacevic also warned about the still unresolved regional problems
of water pollution, the use of artificial fertilisers and waste
water management.
During the summit, the Croatian minister will meet his Romanian
counterpart and representatives from the Czech Republic, Hungary,
Slovakia and Albania. He will also hold talks with a World Bank
representative for the Global Environmental Facility (GEF)
regarding the possible funding of programmes for the protection of
Croatia's karst areas.
(hina) rml