ZAGREB, Sept 10 (Hina) - The greatest international meeting ever held in Croatia since it won independence - a conference of the heads of parliaments of the Stability Pact member-states - commences on Monday with an informal session
of the working group in charge of the elaboration of a final document of that event.
ZAGREB, Sept 10 (Hina) - The greatest international meeting ever
held in Croatia since it won independence - a conference of the
heads of parliaments of the Stability Pact member-states -
commences on Monday with an informal session of the working group in
charge of the elaboration of a final document of that event.#L#
According to announcements, the meeting, which will be held in the
Croatian national Sabor, will draw parliamentary heads from 45
countries as well as representatives of international
organisations connected with the Stability Pact for Southeastern
Europe. Namely, about 150 members of delegations will attend this
event.
Twelve delegations will be led by presidents or chairmen of
national parliaments or parliamentary assemblies of international
organisations.
By last Friday participation was confirmed by delegations from 38
countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland,
Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Macedonia, Moldova, the
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the Vatican
as an observer and Montenegro as a guest. Six international
organisations which will take part in the meeting are the Stability
Pact, the European Parliament and parliamentary assemblies of
NATO, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the West European Union. The
United States is expected to confirm the arrival of its
delegation.
The delegation of the host country, led by Sabor Speaker Zlatko
Tomcic, will consist of House of Counties Speaker, Katica
Ivanisevic, and deputy speakers of the House of Representatives -
Zdravko Tomac, Mato Arlovic, Vlatko Pavletic and Drazen Budisa.
Besides the informal session of the aforementioned working group,
on Monday, the head of the Croatian national parliament, Zlatko
Tomcic, will give a reception to welcome other participants, in the
Intercontinental Hotel in the Croatian capital.
On Tuesday the conference begins by Tomcic's opening speech.
Present at the opening speeches will be Croatian Premier Ivica
Racan, the Pact's Special Co-ordinator, Bodo Hombach, and heads of
the parliamentary assemblies of the OSCE and the Council of Europe,
Adrian Severin and Lord Russel Johnston respectively.
After that, a plenary session is scheduled on the topic "The Role of
Parliaments in the Implementation of the Stability Pact and the
Strengthening of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration".
On Tuesday evening Croatian President Stjepan Mesic will receive
the conference's participants.
The conference ends on Wednesday with the adoption of a final
document - the Zagreb Declaration. The participants are expected to
reaffirm, by this document, their full support to the
implementation of the Stability Pact and south-eastern European
countries' aspiration to their admission into the European Union on
the basis of the individual approach as well as to urge the
furtherance of the inter-parliamentary cooperation.
(hina) ms