MINISTER CACIC ADDRESSES DUBROVNIK SEMINAR ON STABILITY PACT

DUBROVNIK, May 22 (Hina) - The first day of a two-day seminar on Croatia's activities within the Stability Pact for South-East Europe, which is held in Dubrovnik, ended on Monday evening with a speech by Croatia's Minister of Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction, Radimir Cacic. The event, organised by the committee for economic affairs and development of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, has gathered 60 participants, of whom 40 are representatives of Council of Europe member-countries. In his speech Cacic focused on Croatia's transport development strategy, stressing Croatia's primary interest was to establish links with its European neighbourhood, especially those links which corresponded with its political and economic orientation. "Those include links toward Central Europe and via Central Europe to West Europe, as well as toward the Pannonian part of the Central European area and via that part toward North and East Europe," Cacic said. Participants in the seminar were also addressed by Evgeny Kirilov, the Parliamentary Assembly's rapporteur on economic recovery of South-East Europe. He warned that the biggest problem all countries in the region were facing was disastrous unemployment rates. One should ratify the Council of Europe's law on crime as soon as possible and stimulate the liberalisation of trade, he added. (hina) jn rml