ZAGREB, June 20 (Hina) - The Croatian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday issued a statement saying the summit which the European Union would possibly organise with the aim of supporting reforms in the western Balkans should also be
attended by countries surrounding the region - permanent and associate EU members, as well as by countries undergoing the process of stabilisation and association.
ZAGREB, June 20 (Hina) - The Croatian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday
issued a statement saying the summit which the European Union would
possibly organise with the aim of supporting reforms in the western
Balkans should also be attended by countries surrounding the region
- permanent and associate EU members, as well as by countries
undergoing the process of stabilisation and association. #L#
French President Jacques Chirac, whose country will take over the
chairmanship of the EU, about twenty days ago suggested organising
"a summit of EU and former Yugoslav countries," which "have no other
choice but to join the EU one day." This idea was supported by
yesterday's EU summit in Santa Maria da Feira in Portugal.
According to Chirac's proposal, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Montenegro's government, and opposition
representatives from Serbia would be invited to the summit.
Slovenia would not be invited, but it could participate in the
meeting if it wishes so.
At the summit, the EU would encourage countries which have started
democratic reforms and remind Yugoslav representatives that the
door would be open for their country as well as soon as it took the
same direction as the other countries.
In its statement on the conclusions of yesterday's EU summit, the
Foreign Ministry said:
"As regards the Republic of Croatia, according to the Conclusions
of the EU Summit in Santa Maria da Feira, the European Council
reiterates its support for democratic and economic reforms in
Croatia and is looking forward to the imminent start of talks on an
Agreement on Stabilisation and Association.
"At the meeting, the European Union emphasised that all countries
in the western Balkans were potential candidates for EU membership,
and the text of its declaration on the region supported the idea of
organising a summit which should assure countries in this region of
European solidarity with them and enable them to investigate means
which would speed up the process of democratic and economic
reforms.
"The Republic of Croatia is interested in the intensification of
cooperation between the EU and countries which still do not have
institutionalised relations with the Union. The Republic of
Croatia shares with the EU the belief about the need to urgently
make a plan of European activity with regard to the deteriorated
situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as the only Balkan
country whose government still lacks the will or ability to start
the adjustment to the standards of the general integration process
in Europe. The Republic of Croatia believes the summit, which would
possibly be organised as a contribution to solving this problem,
should be attended, along with EU countries, also by those
countries which are undergoing the process of stabilisation and
association, as well as by neighbouring countries which are
associate or full EU members," the statement reads.
(hina) jn rml