ISTANBUL FOR OSCE SUMMIT ISTANBUL, Nov 17 (Hina) - The Summit in Istanbul, the last one in this century, will completely define the organisation of the OSCE, its mechanisms and tasks, said Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic on
Wednesday upon his arrival in Istanbul. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is holding the summit in the biggest Turkish city on Thursday and Friday. Croatia's delegation is being led by Premier Zlatko Matesa who arrived in Turkey along with Granic. The OSCE's priority is security and stability, but it also covers fields of human rights, democracy and economy, so that the Organisation is currently active in 17 countries of the world, including its mission in Croatia, Granic told reporters. That's why Croatia will be mentioned in one of paragraphs of a Final Declaration of the Summit, which is to reiterate already known expectations of the international commu
ISTANBUL, Nov 17 (Hina) - The Summit in Istanbul, the last one in
this century, will completely define the organisation of the OSCE,
its mechanisms and tasks, said Croatian Foreign Minister Mate
Granic on Wednesday upon his arrival in Istanbul.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is
holding the summit in the biggest Turkish city on Thursday and
Friday.
Croatia's delegation is being led by Premier Zlatko Matesa who
arrived in Turkey along with Granic.
The OSCE's priority is security and stability, but it also covers
fields of human rights, democracy and economy, so that the
Organisation is currently active in 17 countries of the world,
including its mission in Croatia, Granic told reporters.
That's why Croatia will be mentioned in one of paragraphs of a Final
Declaration of the Summit, which is to reiterate already known
expectations of the international community (from Croatia) - the
return of refugees, free and fair elections and the media freedoms -
but it will be in an acceptable tone, the Croatian minister added.
He said the texts of a Charter on Europe's Security and of the Final
Declaration had almost been completely harmonised, describing this
as a great success in which Croatia's mission to the OSCE, headed by
Ambassador Mario Nobilo, has also taken part.
There has been some tension between the United States and Russia
about OSCE's mechanisms for the work and the Organisation's
authorities. Russians would like for the OSCE to be superior to
NATO, and a consensus had to be reached in order to draw up the final
text of this document, the Croatian minister added.
He confirmed that tomorrow morning he would be present at breakfast
organised by U.S State Secretary Madeleine Albright for ministers
from countries to which the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe
refers.
Granic announced Premier Matesa's meetings with Turkish and Greek
Prime Ministers, Bulent Ecevit and Costas Simitis respectively.
On Wednesday afternoon, Croatian Foreign Minister Granic is to meet
his Norwegian counterpart, Knut Vollebaek, who is the chairman of
the OSCE.
Tomorrow Granic will meet his Russian, Portuguese and German
counterparts, Igor Ivanov, Jaime Gama and Joschko Fischer.
(hina) jn ms