STRASBOURG, Sept 23 (Hina) - The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly on Thursday finished a discussion on south-eastern European countries in the wake of the Kosovo crisis, by endorsing several recommendations for the Ministerial
Committee of the 41 member-countries of the Council of Europe. These recommendations include the support to the international community's peace missions in Kosovo and accentuate the importance of the economic recovery and development of the entire region for the stabilisation of the situation in that part of the Continent. The head of Croatia's delegation to this session, Nikola Obuljen, who was a rapporteur of the economic development committee, told a group of Croatian reporters in Strasbourg that he was satisfied with results of the discussion and contents of the finally adopted reports and recommendations. The basic stand that the reconstruction should cover t
STRASBOURG, Sept 23 (Hina) - The Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly on Thursday finished a discussion on south-eastern
European countries in the wake of the Kosovo crisis, by endorsing
several recommendations for the Ministerial Committee of the 41
member-countries of the Council of Europe.
These recommendations include the support to the international
community's peace missions in Kosovo and accentuate the importance
of the economic recovery and development of the entire region for
the stabilisation of the situation in that part of the Continent.
The head of Croatia's delegation to this session, Nikola Obuljen,
who was a rapporteur of the economic development committee, told a
group of Croatian reporters in Strasbourg that he was satisfied
with results of the discussion and contents of the finally adopted
reports and recommendations.
The basic stand that the reconstruction should cover the whole
region was confirmed during the discussion.
The debate normally revolved mostly around the reconstruction of
the hardest-hit Kosovo, but it was also pointed to the importance of
the recovery of the six countries at the first line - Albania,
Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia,
Obuljen said adding that a group of Council of Europe rapporteurs
visited his country this summer at the very beginning of their
mission through the above-mentioned states.
The Stability Pact for Southeast Europe was taken as a framework for
reports and recommendations of the Council of Europe.
Few can expect non-repaybale aid for any country in south-eastern
Europe. But the Council of Europe expects that those countries can
enjoy preferential tariffs for the export into the developed
markets, particularly into EU and EFTA. In addition, they should be
offered favourable loans for the construction of roads, public
utilities and transmission lines. Projects engaging more countries
in the region will be preferred, Obuljen said.
He added that Croatia was promoting the Adriatic motorway from
Greece via Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo toward Italy and Austria.
(hina) ms