VIENNA, June 29 (Hina) - The signing of a framework agreement on succession to the former Yugoslav federation is important from several aspects, Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said in Vienna on Friday, where the agreement
was signed.
VIENNA, June 29 (Hina) - The signing of a framework agreement on
succession to the former Yugoslav federation is important from
several aspects, Croatia's Foreign Minister Tonino Picula said in
Vienna on Friday, where the agreement was signed.#L#
"The agreement confirms the equality of all successor states in
terms of rights and obligations. It will serve as a mechanism for
deepening confidence among these countries, which is a
prerequisite for developing constructive neighbourly relations,"
said Picula.
He added some of the successors might not consider the agreement
perfect, but reminded it was the result of compromise.
Picula expects the five parliaments will soon ratify the agreement
so as to start with its implementation and the settlement of open
issues.
The agreement was signed by Picula, Bosnian Foreign Minister Zlatko
Lagumdzija, Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister Ilija Filipovski, and
the foreign ministers of Yugoslavia and Slovenia, Goran Svilanovic
and Dimitrij Rupel.
Present at the signing were Austria's Foreign Minister Benita
Ferrero Waldner, the international community's High
Representative in Bosnia, Wolfgang Petritsch, and the
international mediator for succession to the ex-Yugoslavia, Arthur
Watts.
Ferrero Waldner said the negotiators had demonstrated a high level
of responsibility, contributing to stability in Southeast Europe.
It is a message to the region saying that problems should be settled
only through dialogue and not violence, she said.
Expressing satisfaction with the agreement, Bosnia's Lagumdzija
said it "opens the prospect of developing and advancing relations
among the successor states" in view of prospering economically.
He warned, however, there remained unresolved issues, like
citizens' savings in former federal institutions. He thanked the
Bank for International Settlements in Basel for accepting to
mediate in this matter.
Lagumdzija also applauded the fact that former Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic, "the main bearer of the project of mono-ethnic
states founded on segregation, hatred, fear and crime has come
before justice."
Slovene Foreign Minister Rupel said the succession agreement
reflected the new situation on the territory of the former Yugoslav
federation.
"Milosevic's Yugoslavia is no more, while present-day Yugoslavia,
especially after last night's event (Milosevic's extradition to
the Hague war crimes tribunal), deserves credit. The entire region
gets a new European prospect which should be focused on. The
Slovene-Croatian border should not be the EU's outside border for
long."
Yugoslav Foreign Minister Svilanovic said focus should now be taken
off the five successor countries' quotas and put on the
strengthening of economic ties.
"The agreement also paves the way for reconciliation which
certainly isn't an easy and brief process," he said.
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