KOELN, June 10 (Hina) - The Pact on Stability in South-East Europe was adopted by consensus at a Ministerial Conference in Koeln on Thursday. "Croatia is satisfied with the adoption of the Stability Pact in the form in which it was
passed," said Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic after the end of the conference. Croatia's delegation has had a very active role in drawing up the final text of the Pact, as well as in the entire process of making the Pact since the meeting in Zagreb, later in Petersberg and finally in Koeln. The adoption of the Pact, means for Granic, the creation of a totally new strategy for the security and economic development of the region. Each country will become prominent individually whereas the entire effort of the international community will focus on the region, he added. Any new associations are out of question, Croatia's Foreign Minister stressed. He added that the value of the EU regional approach
KOELN, June 10 (Hina) - The Pact on Stability in South-East Europe
was adopted by consensus at a Ministerial Conference in Koeln on
Thursday.
"Croatia is satisfied with the adoption of the Stability Pact in the
form in which it was passed," said Croatian Foreign Minister Mate
Granic after the end of the conference.
Croatia's delegation has had a very active role in drawing up the
final text of the Pact, as well as in the entire process of making
the Pact since the meeting in Zagreb, later in Petersberg and
finally in Koeln.
The adoption of the Pact, means for Granic, the creation of a
totally new strategy for the security and economic development of
the region. Each country will become prominent individually
whereas the entire effort of the international community will focus
on the region, he added.
Any new associations are out of question, Croatia's Foreign
Minister stressed.
He added that the value of the EU regional approach was being
relativized and the role of international organisations and
initiatives such as SECI, which would become an institution
oriented toward economic programmes, was defined in the other way.
Croatia will play an active role in the implementation of the Pact,
and has offered itself for housing the headquarters of one of
working tables as central mechanisms in the conduct of the Pact, he
said.
We place our interest, first of all, in the economic development and
reconstruction, and then in the security of the whole region. This
means the entrance into NATO and EU as soon as possible, and that
this autumn Croatia starts negotiations on the Partnership for
Peace Programme and an agreement on stabilisation and joining,
Granic said adding that until that time his country should complete
talks on its admittance into the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
According to the Croatian diplomat, the Stability Pact is giving
the additional support to successors to the former Yugoslavia, as
it explicitly describes the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
(Serbia/Montenegro) as a successor-country to the former
Yugoslavia (SFRJ).
(hina) jn ms