ZAGREB, June 9 (Hina) - Following a Tuesday meeting of G-8 countries in Cologne, which agreed on a United Nations Security Council resolution on Kosovo, the northern German city, which has recently become the centre of international
events, will on Thursday host a ministerial conference on the Stability Pact for South-East Europe, which is expected to adopt the text of the document. Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, the chairman of the European Union Council of Ministers and initiator of the Pact, invited to Cologne the foreign ministers of countries included in the Pact, including Croatia, of EU countries, United States, Russia, Canada and Japan, as well as representatives of NATO, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), UN, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other international organisations and financial institutions. The meeting
ZAGREB, June 9 (Hina) - Following a Tuesday meeting of G-8 countries
in Cologne, which agreed on a United Nations Security Council
resolution on Kosovo, the northern German city, which has recently
become the centre of international events, will on Thursday host a
ministerial conference on the Stability Pact for South-East
Europe, which is expected to adopt the text of the document.
Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, the chairman of the
European Union Council of Ministers and initiator of the Pact,
invited to Cologne the foreign ministers of countries included in
the Pact, including Croatia, of EU countries, United States,
Russia, Canada and Japan, as well as representatives of NATO,
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), UN,
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and
other international organisations and financial institutions.
The meeting will also be attended by representatives of regional
initiatives, such as the Central European Initiative (CEI), South-
East European Cooperation Initiative (SECI), and Royamount, which
the Stability Pact should unite and give them coherence.
The Croatian delegation at the conference will be led by Foreign
Minister Mate Granic and will include his assistants Vladimir
Drobnjak, Josko Paro and Zoran Bosnjak.
Other countries encompassed by the Pact are Albania, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania,
Slovenia and Turkey. Montenegro will be attending the meeting as an
observer-country. Following the resolution of the Kosovo crisis,
the Pact will also include the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia since
without its participation there can be no permanent stabilisation
of the region.
So far, 98 per cent of the text of the draft Pact has been agreed on
and the remaining two per cent, concerning a strong Euro-Atlantic
component and Yugoslavia's position in the pact, has not been
defined yet due to Russia's reservations. According to diplomatic
sources, Moscow's stand has in the meantime been harmonised with
Europe's. Moscow has withdrawn its earlier objections and the
conference is expected to fully succeed.
Croatia has from the beginning closely cooperated and played an
active part in the making of the Pact. At a meeting in Petersberg in
late May, Croatia was among the most active parties in advocating
the Euro-Atlantic component. The Croatian diplomacy especially
insisted on individual evaluation of progress of each country in
drawing closer to Euro-Atlantic associations and the expansion of
the circle of countries belonging to the Pact.
(hina) jn rml