EUROPEAN UNION TROIKA TO VISIT CROATIA TUESDAY

ZAGREB, March 27 (Hina) - A European Union (EU) troika will arrive in Croatia on Tuesday for talks with Croatia's senior officials. The troika will include the Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security, Javier Solana, Portugal's Foreign Minister Jaime Gama, and the French Foreign Ministry's chief director for Europe, Huges Pernet. In the afternoon, the troika will hold talks with Croatia's President Stipe Mesic, parliament president Zlatko Tomcic, Premier Ivica Racan, Foreign Minister Tonino Picula, and European Integration Minister Ivan Jakovcic, the Croatian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday. The European troika is expected to reiterate the Union's positive reactions to a recent change of authority in Croatia, and call on the new authorities to expedite the implementation of conditions necessary for approaching integration with Euro-Atlantic structures. Solana is expected to brief Croatia's officials on a new EU strategy towards Southeast Europe he and EU foreign affairs commissioner Chris Patten outlined at a EU summit in Lisbon on March 23 and 24. In a document on the new strategy, EU leaders criticised the ineffectiveness of EU's policy towards Southeast Europe, which is suffering due to complex and long-standing procedures, and suggested increasing the effectiveness of and improving the international community's coordination towards the region. The conclusion at the Lisbon summit was that the international community needs a more consistent and more dynamic strategy of extending political and economic assistance to Kosovo and the entire region. (hina) ha mm