SUMMIT OF PRESIDENTS OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES STARTS

SZEKESFEHERVAR, April 28 (Hina) - A two-day summit of eleven presidents of central European countries opened with an official welcome ceremony and a military review in the Hungarian town of Szekesfehervar on Friday. Croatian President Stipe Mesic is attending the event for the first time. Attending the summit, along with Hungary's President Arpad Goencz, are the presidents of Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Germany. Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi cancelled attendance at the last moment due to the government crisis. After reviewing the honorary units of the Hungarian army and posing for a joint photograph, participants in the summit are to attend a round table on the foundations of coexistence in the third millennium. They will then hold separate news conferences. The Hungarian President will read out the "Szekerfehervar Declaration" as a joint document of the summit. Apart from multilateral cooperation and integration processes in the region and Europe, bilateral meetings between the presidents will have an important place in the seventh informal summit of European countries. President Mesic, who arrived in Hungary's first capital by car this morning met Romania's Emil Constantinescou before the official beginning of the summit. During the two-day event he will also meet the other nine presidents. (hina) mm rml