STABILITY PACT REGIONAL TABLE STARTS FIRST SESSION IN BRUSSELS

BRUSSELS, Sept 16 (Hina) - The first session of the Stability Pact's Regional Table, which started on Thursday in Brussels, was addressed by the Pact's coordinator Bodo Hombach, who proposed working programmes for three working groups on economic reconstruction, democracy, and security, as well as candidates for the posts of their heads and deputy heads. These are the main issues to be discussed by the first session of the Regional Table, which marks the start of the functioning of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe. Present among the representatives of the 29 Stability Pact countries (nine of them are south-east European countries) is also Croatia's delegation, led by Assistant Foreign Minister Vladimir Drobnjak. The Regional Table is the Pact's main working body. Its task is to direct the activities of the three working groups which were established within the Pact in order to coordinate actions by the many national and international factors in south-east European Europe. The first working group will deal with human rights and democracy, the second with economy and reconstruction, and the third one with internal and foreign security. According to Hombach's proposal, three senior officials from three EU countries should be elected as presidents of the working groups, with two-year mandates. They would have deputies with six-month mandates, who should be elected from the nine countries of south- east Europe and rotate according to a set schedule. (hina) rml