MESIC ADDRESSES USAID CONFERENCE IN SOFIA

SOFIA, Sept 11 (Hina) - Countries in transition have embarked on a path towards democracy on which they want to build partnership and cooperation with the help of eminent democratic systems, Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in a speech at a two-day conference organised in Sofia by the U.N. Agency for International Development (USAID). #L# It is difficult to build democratic systems in countries without democratic tradition, Mesic said, adding countries in transition from Europe and EuroAsia needed such help as offered by the USAID, one of the world's leading and most efficient agencies. Mesic believes countries in transition need two kinds of assistance - help in acquiring democratic norms and "in resisting the dangers encountered by societies on their way to democracy." "Corruption, ethnic strife and poverty are some of the dangers this conference has addressed, and they must be identified as the elements which seriously undermine the desired results of the transition process," Mesic said. These occurrences can seriously compromise democracy and open the door to dictatorship, which, indeed, will not be communist dictatorship, but it won't be any less dangerous either, Mesic warned. Concluding his speech, Mesic gave a well-intentioned warning to democratic countries which are helping countries in transition, urging them to take into account the specific circumstances in former communist countries. He explained that even during the communist regime those countries had not been organised in a uniform manner, nor was it the case today. Therefore, while approaching those countries, one should avoid "uniform solutions and ready-made models," he said. Mesic said he was looking forward to the USAID conference in Croatia, to be held in two years. President Mesic's speech was met with long applause. Introducing the Croatian president, USAID Secretary-General Andrew Natsios said he was a principled politician of high integrity. (hina) sb rml