THIRD SUMMIT MEETING OF SEECP STARTS IN ROMANIA

BUCHAREST, Feb 12 (Hina) - Premiers and Foreign Ministers of six Balkan countries on Saturday gathered in Bucharest to hold the third summit meeting of the Southeast Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP). Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact of South-East Europe, Bodo Hombach, is also attending the event. Six member-states that are taking part in the Bucharest meeting - Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, and Turkey - are being represented by their Prime Ministers. Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, both of which have observer status, have sent an Assistant to Foreign Minister, Vladimir Drobnjak, and Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic, respectively. . The seventh member-country of the SEECP, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) is not present at the Bucharest meeting, as other member-countries are awaiting the normalisation of the situation in that country before its officials can take active part in SEECP sessions. The SEECP was established in 1996 from a one-time Balkan initiative, and Romania is currently chairing it. Tasks of the SEECP are to help promote good neighbourly relations, stability, safety and cooperation in the south-east of Europe. (hina) ms