ZAGREB, Nov 24 (Hina) - "Croatia sincerely accepts regional cooperation and is prepared for... involvement in the creation of conditions for the establishment of quality relations between states" in the region, but while accepting
this cooperation, Croatia "does not want to become a captive of the region," President Stipe Mesic said at Friday's Zagreb Summit.
ZAGREB, Nov 24 (Hina) - "Croatia sincerely accepts regional
cooperation and is prepared for... involvement in the creation of
conditions for the establishment of quality relations between
states" in the region, but while accepting this cooperation,
Croatia "does not want to become a captive of the region," President
Stipe Mesic said at Friday's Zagreb Summit.#L#
"Regional cooperation must not be an end in itself, it must be just
one of the steps on the hopefully not too long road to the European
Union," he said in a closed-door plenary session speech given
reporters at the Summit's press centre.
Mesic said Croatia "is... aware that complete and lasting peace and
security are not possible along its frontiers until peace and
security prevail in all the countries in its environment." He
stressed Croatia was prepared to make its maximum contribution to
regional stabilisation and welcomed the beginning of changes in
Yugoslavia.
"The policy pursued by the regime of Slobodan Milosevic and imposed
by that aggressive regime by force of arms... on Slovenia...
Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and... Kosovo, caused a series of wars
which left a trail of death and destruction."
Mesic said that in eliminating the consequences of those wars, the
establishment of responsibility at all levels played an
incalculable role. "Without full cooperation with the Hague
Tribunal, without the individual assignment of guilt... and
without the return of refugees and displaced persons... it would be
illusory to discuss any normalisation" of relations," he said.
The changes in Yugoslavia hold out hope for the final stabilisation
of the region, and in this respect Croatia expects "the new
government in Belgrade to appropriately... disown Milosevic's
policy."
Speaking about the role of the international community in the
region, Mesic said the Zagreb Summit would be remembered as "a new
step forward in the process of approach of Southeast Europe to the
European Union and in the normalisation of conditions in this part
of the world."
"The choice of Zagreb as the venue of the Summit reflects the firm
commitment of the Union to continued and enhanced efforts to be
crowned by the admission of the countries included in the process of
stabilisation and association."
Mesic welcomed the "important and radical" reforms initiated and
implemented by the European Commission, saying he was content with
the CARDS programme, which financially assists the region's
countries. He urged the EC to forward allocated funds to those they
were intended for with the Latin saying "bis dat qui cito dat": who
gives quickly, gives twice.
Mesic concluded the Zagreb Summit should set clear principles "for
the building of relations among the region's countries... affirm
the criteria which every country must meet in order to qualify for
the procedure of admission to the EU, and to send a clear message to
the citizens of these countries that they are welcome to the Union -
at the rate which they are capable of achieving, that is,
individually, or... in a regatta and not in a convoy."
(hina) ha jn