PICULA ENDS HIS VISIT TO NEW YORK

NEW YORK, Sept 15 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula on Friday endined his visit to New York, where he participated in the 55th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly and held numerous bilateral and multilateral talks. Picula held talks with minister and political directors of foreign ministries of Central European Initiative (CEI) member-countries. They discussed issues of mutual interest and activities within the United Nations. Officials also focused on the situation in Southeast Europe in the stability of which all CEI member-countries expressed interest. The officials agreed there was only one hot spot of problems in the Balkans, Milosevic's Serbia. Without a democratic development in the country, one cannot expect a stabile progress in neighbouring countries. Aware of the reality, senior officials of the CEI member-countries expressed hope that upcoming elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia would mark the beginning of a democratic process. The officials also tackled the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe. Picula ended his bilateral talks in New York with Island's minister Haldor Asgrimsson and his Jordanian colleague Abdel Elah Khatib. (hina) it