STABILITY PACT PREPARATORY MEETING SUCCESSFUL

SARAJEVO, July 29 (Hina) - Thursday's debate at a preparatory meeting of the summit meeting of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe in Sarajevo has resulted in a series of useful initiatives and proposals which will help improve cooperation between countries in the region, participants in today's debate told reporters. #L# Finland's President Marti Ahtisaari, who is chairing the Sarajevo meeting on behalf of the European Union, said at the end of the first day of the summit all participants believed the Pact should create conditions for a safe and stable political and economic transition of south-east European countries. Ahtisaari said problems in the region were numerous and it would take some time to solve them, however, all useful initiatives which had been or would be suggested in that regard would be taken into consideration. The chairman of the Bosnian Presidency, Ante Jelavic, said the Sarajevo meeting, just like the Pact itself, would help the region get rid of the tragic Balkan and communist legacy and help it draw closer to Euro-Atlantic associations. He called on countries in the region to follow Bosnia's initiative regarding the reduction of military expenses. The Pact's coordinator Bodo Hombach said the European Union and the United States were determined to help in the stabilisation of south-east Europe and that countries in the region had also expressed readiness to cooperate. Hombach pointed to the importance of cooperation in reconstructing infrastructure, which should prompt the overall development in the region. He added, however, countries in the region were responsible primarily for defining priorities they were going to support. The purpose of the Pact is not to impose itself as an institution which will carry out tasks someone else has already been carrying out successfully, but to offer a chance for better use of already available instruments, he said. Hombach said no one wanted to leave Serbia outside similar initiatives but the country would not be given the opportunity of cooperation with other countries as long as it was governed by the current regime. No one wants to talk with Milosevic any more, said Hombach indicating that the Serbian Opposition would be given strong support and offered cooperation. BH Presidency member Alija Izetbegovic welcomed the Turkish- Albanian initiative that the final document of the Sarajevo meeting make mention of Kosovo explicitly. He also welcomed Switzerland's suggestion that the Pact be left open for possible new members, which was welcomed by President Ahtisaari. (hina) rml