MESIC: WAR MUST BE DECLARED ON ORGANISED TRANS-NATIONAL CRIME

PALERMO, Dec 12 (Hina) - War should literally be declared against organised trans-national crime, and Croatia is willing to participate in this international effort with all its power, President Stipe Mesic said in Palermo on Tuesday. He addressed the plenary session of a United Nations conference on combating organised crime.#L# "Given its character... our 'war' will have a chance to succeed only if it is a joint, harmonised effort. The UN convention we signed today is the first significant step... in that direction," he said. The 14 heads of state and more than 100 ministers from 180 countries attending UN's conference in the southern Italian city earlier today signed a UN convention on combating organised trans-national crime. Mesic said Croatia was not spared either the influence or the effect of this type of crime, with a rampant number of drug addicts and trafficking in humans crossing its territory. "After almost a decade in which the former authorities were inclined to... flirt with crime, when it suited the realisation of some of their political goals, as... of this year Croatia has democratically oriented and democratically committed authorities (which) use all their power to combat crime, national and trans- national, and are willing to participate in international efforts directed at crime prevention. In this joint struggle, (Croatia) seeks both assistance and cooperation from other countries." Mesic said his coming to Palermo to sign the UN convention was proof of Croatia's firm commitment to combat organised trans-national crime. Croatia is aware of the danger posed by crime, he said. "We are aware of the business called crime because... crime today is a big business. My country is also aware of the need for the international community to do its part of the job - combating global crime." He said the Palermo conference marked a significant step in organising states in combating crime. Organised crime is a serious threat to all foundations of the democratic world and is indivisibly linked with corruption, Mesic said. "Corruption often stretches to the highest spheres of social and political life, and regardless of the reasons which brought them in this position, corrupted people are not and cannot be reliable pillars of society's democratic organisation," the Croatian president said. He concluded his address by saying that the victims of crime "don't give us the right to fail" in combating organised trans-national crime. (hina) ha