BONN, May 27 (Hina) - Croatia strongly supports the concept of the Stability Pact for south-east Europe and is ready to contribute fully to its implementation. The Pact includes a strong Euro-Atlantic dimension and offers a chance for
full integration into Euro-Atlantic structures to countries wishing to do so, and my delegation wants to stress the importance of this segment of the Pact, Croatian Assistant Foreign Minister Vladimir Drobnjak said at Thursday's meeting on the Stability Pact, which is being held in Petersberg near Bonn. The meeting, held on the level of political directors of foreign ministries, is attended by delegations from about 30 countries, as well as by representatives from numerous international organisations and financial institutions. The meeting was opened by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. The key words of the Stability Pact for south-east Europe are stabilit
BONN, May 27 (Hina) - Croatia strongly supports the concept of the
Stability Pact for south-east Europe and is ready to contribute
fully to its implementation.
The Pact includes a strong Euro-Atlantic dimension and offers a
chance for full integration into Euro-Atlantic structures to
countries wishing to do so, and my delegation wants to stress the
importance of this segment of the Pact, Croatian Assistant Foreign
Minister Vladimir Drobnjak said at Thursday's meeting on the
Stability Pact, which is being held in Petersberg near Bonn.
The meeting, held on the level of political directors of foreign
ministries, is attended by delegations from about 30 countries, as
well as by representatives from numerous international
organisations and financial institutions.
The meeting was opened by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
The key words of the Stability Pact for south-east Europe are
stability, democracy, market economy, cooperation and prosperity,
Drobnjak said. The document represents a very complex and far-
reaching mechanism, which will contribute to the expansion of the
European Union and the establishment of European security and
stability, Drobnjak said.
In that context, he welcomed a decision by the European Commission
to offer south-east European countries a new opportunity of
contractual relations with the European Union (agreement on
stabilisation and admission).
Croatia is ready to contribute to the Pact, and meet its obligations
and its share of responsibility, as well as to adopt the principles
of the Pact and use all benefits offered by the concept of this
important and ambitious document, Drobnjak said.
He expressed hope that the Pact would soon go into force, and not
become hostage to the Kosovo crisis but rather contribute to its
solution.
Delegations attending the Petersberg meeting are harmonising their
views regarding the draft Stability Pact in groups behind closed
doors. The process is slow, because opinions of all countries have
to be taken into account. The Russian delegation is slowing down the
process most because it is concerned about the over-emphasised
Euro-Atlantic dimension of the Pact and wants a more important role
for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
as well as a possibility for Yugoslavia to be part of the Pact from
the beginning.
Opening the meeting, Germany's Fischer mentioned this issue as
well. He said the FRY should have its representative in the
Stability Pact, but only after it had met conditions set by the
international community, as the country had condemned itself to
isolation for the time being.
(hina) jn rml