ZAGREB, May 22 (Hina) - Croatia believes the time has come for all interested countries, as well as international organisations and initiatives, to join efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability in south-eastern Europe, Croatian
Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader said in Zagreb on Saturday. Sanader was addressing an informal meeting of foreign ministry representatives from countries surrounding Yugoslavia and other interested countries. In attendance are officials from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, and German and Austrian ambassadors to Croatia, whose consultations will focus on a stability pact for south-eastern Europe, a German proposal aimed at establishing lasting peace in the region. The Zagreb consultations are preliminary talks for a conference to be held in Bonn on May 27, aimed at helping the countries which will
ZAGREB, May 22 (Hina) - Croatia believes the time has come for all
interested countries, as well as international organisations and
initiatives, to join efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability
in south-eastern Europe, Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo
Sanader said in Zagreb on Saturday.
Sanader was addressing an informal meeting of foreign ministry
representatives from countries surrounding Yugoslavia and other
interested countries.
In attendance are officials from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey,
and German and Austrian ambassadors to Croatia, whose
consultations will focus on a stability pact for south-eastern
Europe, a German proposal aimed at establishing lasting peace in
the region.
The Zagreb consultations are preliminary talks for a conference to
be held in Bonn on May 27, aimed at helping the countries which will
be included in the stability pact agree on the joint interests which
will make up the pact.
Croatia's initiative will demonstrate that Croatia does not want to
play a passive, be also an active role in creating the pact which
will determine the future of countries in south-eastern Europe.
Similar meetings were held in Brussels, Bucharest, and Ljubljana.
Croatia's Sanader stressed this frequency "clearly indicates that
within the international community there is a genuine desire and
resoluteness to take responsibility and deal with the situation in
south-eastern Europe at this critical moment."
Opening the Zagreb meeting, Sanader reiterated Croatia's support
to Germany's stability pact motion and outlined four reasons why
Croatia sees the motion as a positive one.
Croatia believes the pact will facilitate efforts aimed at
establishing peace in Kosovo and Croatia's eastern neighbours, it
will fortify regional cooperation and the establishment of good
neighbourly relations, provide clear prospects for countries in
the region to strengthen relations with European and Euro-Atlantic
structures, with eventual integration, and will give coherence to
the numerous multilateral and bilateral actions undertaken towards
a speedy recovery of the financial and economic situation in south-
eastern Europe.
Sanader also reiterated a peace initiative for Kosovo Croatian
President Franjo Tudjman put forward on Friday. Tudjman suggested
the complete withdrawal of the Yugoslav army to the north of Kosovo,
where the UN would keep peace, while international forces would
enable the return of refugees to the rest of the province.
Croatia's deputy foreign minister expressed hope the most
important international factors will give appropriate
consideration to the Tudjman proposal.
According to announcements, the Zagreb meeting should serve to
exchange opinions on the current situation in the region and to seek
stabilisation solutions.
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