BUCHAREST: FIRST DAY OF OSCE'S CONFERENCE ENDS

BUCHAREST, Dec 3 (Hina) - On the first day of the ninth conference of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Ministerial Council held in Bucharest, about 30 foreign ministers and representatives of international organisations on Monday sent the same message - after the attacks on the United States, terrorism became a global problem and the international community can cope with it only if it is united and jointly acts on its prevention. The EU Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten, pointed to the significance of the OSCE's work on the strengthening of democratic institutions and the rule-of-law in its member- countries because weak and poor countries could generate terrorism. He also stressed that the policy of the expansion of the EU proved as a powerful mean of the stability and pointed to the significance of the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe. Patten advocated the strengthening of efforts in order to make the OSCE's economic scope of activities more efficient. An action plan for fighting terrorism is expected to be adopted on Tuesday. In line with the plan, the participants will be committed to even stronger cooperation in fighting terrorism and its sources of financing, as well as in arresting, processing and extraditing persons indicted of terrorism. (hina) it sb