BUCHAREST: MESIC ATTENDING INT. SUMMIT ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

BUCHAREST, April 30 (Hina) - Croatian President Stipe Mesic is attending in Bucharest an international summit focusing on issues pertaining to environmental protection and sustainable development in the Danubian-Carpathian region. The summit opened on Sunday and resumed on Monday, with opening addresses by Romanian President Ion Iliescu and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinbourgh, who is the honorary president of the World Wide Fund for Nature. The first day of the summit included a ministerial conference, attended by Croatian Environmental Protection Minister Bozo Kovacevic, which tackled biodiversity and sustainable development, cooperation mechanisms aimed at achieving sustainable development, and issues concerning the region's environment and security. The Bucharest summit has gathered representatives of 14 countries of the region, international governmental and non-governmental organisations, financial institutions and businessmen. This is the first time senior officials of countries of the Danube river basin and Carpathian region have met to address environmental protection and sustainable development. The summit should end with the adoption of a final declaration. (hina) ha