GOETEBORG - TALKS WITH CANDIDATES SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY 2002

GOETEBORG, June 16 (Hina) - The heads of state or government of 15 European Union member-countries reached a consensus at a summit in Goeteborg on Saturday that negotiations with candidate-countries which have made most progress in meeting the criteria for full EU membership should be wrapped up by 2002 so that those countries could participate in the 2004 elections for the European parliament. #L# If unobstructed progress in meeting the set criteria continues, those countries could complete talks on EU membership until the end of 2002. The aim is to enable them to participate in the 2004 elections for the EU parliament, reads a document with conclusions of the two-day summit, which was overshadowed by an eruption of anti-globalisation protests and violence on the streets of Goeteborg. Over the past two days the Swedish police have arrested 539 persons, pressed charges against 96 of them and banned another 61 from the country. The process of EU enlargement is irreversible, reads the document. According to the current situation with negotiations, Hungary, Cyprus and Slovenia have closed most negotiating chapters. Candidate countries have welcomed the fact that a concrete deadline for the completion of admission talks has been mentioned for the first time. We welcome and appreciate today's conclusions which are even beyond expectations, Slovene European Integration Minister Igor Bavcar said. The setting of the deadline for the completion of talks with more advanced candidates did not seem a likely outcome before the start of the summit. Germany and France opposed the proposal until the very last moment. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told reporters Germany was the last country to give in, and repeated the three reasons why it opposed the setting of the deadline: there is no sense talking about deadlines because they cloud the content of the talks; setting a deadline exposes the candidates to additional pressure, and lastly, one should wait for the results of a EU report on agriculture, to be finished by mid 2002, which could seriously threaten the prospects of some countries to enter the EU. There will be no political privileges for any candidate, Schroeder said. The EU leaders welcomed the progress made by five south-east European countries included in the process of stabilisation and association and stressed the conclusion of Stabilisation and Association Agreements with Croatia and Macedonia. The EU will continue supporting the efforts of the countries in the region to join European integration processes on the basis of conclusions and recommendations from a Council of Ministers' report (adopted at the last meeting in Luxembourg) on the Stabilisation and Association Process. Those countries must achieve more visible progress in the areas of minority rights, refugee return, regional cooperation, and, particularly, cooperation in the field of justice and internal affairs, reads the EU document. In an annex to the conclusions the EU gives a statement on the situation in Macedonia. The EU is committed to the inviolability of internationally recognised borders in the region and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Macedonia as a multiethnic state, the statement reads. The EU believes that it is necessary to find a political solution to the crisis and start dialogue about all questions, including the Macedonian constitution, and supports the plan of Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski on the resolution of the crisis. German Chancellor Schroeder said his country supported the proposal that a former French defence minister, Francois Leotard, be sent to Macedonia as a special EU envoy. Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson said the other big achievement of the Goeteborg summit was an agreement on a sustainable development strategy which, along with economic reforms and social cohesion, also includes an ecological dimension. The EU heads of state or government called on the EU Council of Ministers to adopt a joint stand on the fight against the expansion of ballistic missiles and arms for mass destruction as soon as possible. The EU and its member countries have emphasised their determination to fulfil their obligations pursuant to the Kyoto Protocol. As regards this matter, the EU's stand is different than the one of the United States and those difference were not overcome at a summit which also took place in Goeteborg before the EU summit. (hina) rml