ZAGREB, Sept 12 (Hina) - Participants in a conference of parliamentary presidents from Stability Pact member-countries, which started in Zagreb on Tuesday, were greeted by the Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South-East
Europe, Bodo Hombach, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly President, Adrian Severin, and the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly President, Lord Russel Johnston. The Stability Pact is a two-way street - on one side there are reforms in south-east European countries and regional cooperation and on the other financial and technical support for those efforts and integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions, Hombach said. The cooperation between Stability Pact partners, primarily between south-east European countries, has been improved, Hombach said. Stability in the region is not possible without a democratic Federal Rep
ZAGREB, Sept 12 (Hina) - Participants in a conference of
parliamentary presidents from Stability Pact member-countries,
which started in Zagreb on Tuesday, were greeted by the Special
Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe, Bodo
Hombach, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's
(OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly President, Adrian Severin, and the
Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly President, Lord Russel
Johnston.
The Stability Pact is a two-way street - on one side there are
reforms in south-east European countries and regional cooperation
and on the other financial and technical support for those efforts
and integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions, Hombach said.
The cooperation between Stability Pact partners, primarily between
south-east European countries, has been improved, Hombach said.
Stability in the region is not possible without a democratic
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Hombach said, adding the door to
Europe and the Stability Pact was open for Yugoslavia as well.
However, he emphasised Yugoslav citizens had to know that Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic could not be their future.
OSCE's Severin said in his speech a pragmatic approach was
necessary in implementing the Stability Pact.
We have to treat each other equally and reject any attempt at
dividing south-east Europe into artificial sub-regions, Severin
said.
The role of parliamentarians is to see that national legislative
systems, especially the segment referring to democracy, human
rights and the rule of law, are in line with European standards,
Severin said, adding integration was not only desirable but also
unavoidable.
Independence is no alternative to integration. The alternative is
isolation and isolation brings instability and lack of
independence, Severin said, adding a good example of this was
Yugoslavia.
The Council of Europe's Lord Russel Johnston said the Stability
Pact had to ensure significant economic and political power for
countries in the region if it was to justify its existence.
Lord Johnston said the implementation of the already agreed
concrete projects could not wait, especially of those referring to
infrastructure, environment, and power supply.
The Stability Pact should also secure political assistance
offering primarily concrete prospects of closer ties between
countries in the region and the EU and NATO, Johnston said.
Johnston, too, agreed that the regime of Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic had to be toppled.
Lord Johnston also paid tribute to Milan Levar, praising him for the
courage he demonstrated by testifying against war criminals.
Milan Levar testified in 1997 before the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague about crimes
Croatian forces allegedly committed against Serb civilians in the
Gospic area in late 1991. Levar was killed on August 28 this year in
the explosion of a mine planted in his back yard.
(hina) jn rml