YUGOSLAVIA NEIGHBOURS' PREMIERS CONCERNED AT TENSION IN KOSOVO

BUDAPEST, March 18 (Hina) - Premiers of countries bordering with Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro) on Saturday cautioned about worrisome tension and mounting violence in Kosovo and in southern Serbia and expressed support to authorities in Montenegro. Being concerned at the escalation of tension in the region and increasing violence in Kosovo and southern Serbia, the premiers of Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, and the president of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Croat-Moslem federation, discussed the democratisation of Serbia, the situation in Kosovo, reforms in Montenegro, the implementation of the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, and the re-introduction of navigation on the Danube, during a two-day conference in Budapest. Speaking at a news conference, held at the end of the two-day meeting, Hungary's Premier Viktor Orban said on Saturday that the participants were agreed to help prevent new clashes in Kosovo or southern Serbia, strengthen democratic opposition in Serbia and support Montenegro which is facing the mounting pressure of the (Yugoslav President Slobodan) Milosevic regime in Belgrade. The international community must do everything to prevent fresh conflict, for we can notice worrying signs in Kosovo and southern Serbia, Orban told reporters. He added that the participants in the Budapest conference also agreed that it was in the international interest to back the Serbian opposition. The European Union High Representative for foreign affairs and security, Javier Solana, who attended the conference on Saturday, told reporters that the EU wanted to assist Serbia to launch a democratisation process and change the current regime. According to Solana, on Monday the EU Council of Ministers will consider the situation in Yugoslavia. He announced that there would be no dramatic changes in the EU policy toward that country. The Budapest conference particularly focused on increasing pressure which Belgrade is exerting on Montenegro and its democratically elected authorities. Hungary's Orban said the premiers in Budapest had agreed that Montenegro should be assisted in strengthening because in case that Podgorica's position be aggravated in relations with Belgrade this could affect the situation in the region. This conference concluded that international sanctions imposed on Serbia should be maintained and the participants agreed that Montenegro should be included in programmes of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe. The Stability Pact Special Co-ordinator Bodo Hombach said he was expecting signals from Lisbon (as Portugal is now holding the EU rotating presidency) and Brussels for allowing Montenegro to enter programmes within the Stability Pact. The EU official Solana added that the EU did not support the separation of Montenegro from Yugoslavia but it did support a politically and economically democratic Montenegro. NATO Secretary-General George Robertson, who attended the event on Friday, demanded from Milosevic to raise the economic blockade against Montenegro and added that NATO was, attentively and very concerned, following developments in Montenegro and was offering backing to its democratically elected Government. Croatia was represented at the Budapest event by Premier Ivica Racan who also voiced concern over the situation in Kosovo and southern Serbia and over Belgrade's pressure on Montenegro. "We are concerned as forces of a greater Serbia and the institutions of the Milosevic regime are rattling their sabres and causing tension in Montenegro," Racan told reporters after the first part of the conference on Friday. I believe, however, that the agreement of all present at the conference will de-stimulate these ambitions of the Milosevic regime, whereas European democratic institutions must consider it as important to directly help the Montenegrin Government, he added then. The premiers in Budapest and other guests agreed that navigation on the Danube River should resume after its discontinuation when a bridge near Novi Sad was destroyed during NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia last spring. Orban said remains of the destroyed bridge should be removed and a new bridge constructed in the way that it cannot be exploited for military purposes. Another meeting of the premiers of the countries bordering with Yugoslavia has not been scheduled but it is certain that the conferences of this kind will be held following January's meeting in Bulgaria and this one in Hungary. Premier Orban said Croatia and Macedonia had applied to be hosts of the next conference. (hina) ms