ZAGREB, Sept 18 (Hina) - A Croatian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Mate Granic will leave Sunday for the 54th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. The session is especially significant for Croatia as it is for the
first time participating as an offerer of peace troops (military observers in Sierra Leone), Assistant Foreign Minister Vladimir Drobnjak said at a briefing Saturday. The fact that it is one of the candidates at this autumn's elections for the UN's Economic and Social Council, also proves Croatia's status, Drobnjak said. According to him, this session of the UN General Assembly will be a preparation for the "summit of the millennium" at which heads of states and governments should next year decide of key issues for the future of the organisation, primarily a reform of the UN system. Of the 166 items to be discussed at the session, Croatia is primarily interested in issues c
ZAGREB, Sept 18 (Hina) - A Croatian delegation headed by Foreign
Minister Mate Granic will leave Sunday for the 54th session of the
UN General Assembly in New York.
The session is especially significant for Croatia as it is for the
first time participating as an offerer of peace troops (military
observers in Sierra Leone), Assistant Foreign Minister Vladimir
Drobnjak said at a briefing Saturday.
The fact that it is one of the candidates at this autumn's elections
for the UN's Economic and Social Council, also proves Croatia's
status, Drobnjak said.
According to him, this session of the UN General Assembly will be a
preparation for the "summit of the millennium" at which heads of
states and governments should next year decide of key issues for the
future of the organisation, primarily a reform of the UN system.
Of the 166 items to be discussed at the session, Croatia is
primarily interested in issues concerning mines and mine-clearing,
the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the issues of oceans and
rights of the sea.
Croatia will be directly involved in two items -- as part of an
omnibus resolution on the situation of human rights in Croatia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Yugoslavia, and reports on the work of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
in The Hague.
The resolution on human rights has been included on the UN General
Assembly agenda since 1993, and although "a significant
distinction has been made between Yugoslavia and Croatia, for
example," Croatia is still technically a part of it, and this is
something it is not satisfied with.
The ICTY annual report is a "technical item" to be discussed by the
UN Security Council in several months and then adopt a resolution,
Drobnjak said.
Granic will hold talks in New York with the foreign ministers of
Denmark, China, Costarica, Latvia, Belgium, Greece, Macedonia,
Italy, Spain, Norway, Slovakia, Turkey, Island, Russia, Sudan and
India.
Granic will also meet deputy US State Secretary Strobe Talbott, and
will attend a lunch to be organised for the foreign ministers of
Croatia, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovenia,
Macedonia, Albania and Bulgaria.
Granic will also hold a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan, with the EU coordinator for southeastern Europe and
representatives of some international organisations.
(hina) lml