ISTANBUL, Nov 18 (Hina) - The foreign ministers of the Stability Pact member-countries agreed on Thursday in Istanbul to organise a financial conference in the first half of next year. "The Stability Pact is project-oriented and it
has been agreed that a financial conference should be held in the first half of next year, probably in February or March", Croatia's Foreign Minister Mate Granic told Croatian reporters covering a summit of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Istanbul, within which a working breakfast of the Stability Pact foreign ministers took place today. "This won't be a classic donors' conference but a financial conference, meaning that it will enable investors to join in the projects", Granic said. Today's working breakfast was presided over by the OSCE Chairman, Norway's Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek. The meeting was addressed by Stability Pact
ISTANBUL, Nov 18 (Hina) - The foreign ministers of the Stability
Pact member-countries agreed on Thursday in Istanbul to organise a
financial conference in the first half of next year.
"The Stability Pact is project-oriented and it has been agreed that
a financial conference should be held in the first half of next
year, probably in February or March", Croatia's Foreign Minister
Mate Granic told Croatian reporters covering a summit of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in
Istanbul, within which a working breakfast of the Stability Pact
foreign ministers took place today.
"This won't be a classic donors' conference but a financial
conference, meaning that it will enable investors to join in the
projects", Granic said.
Today's working breakfast was presided over by the OSCE Chairman,
Norway's Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek. The meeting was
addressed by Stability Pact coordinator Bodo Hombach and ministers
of at least a dozen member-countries, including the United States.
Participants in the meeting unanimously accepted three
declarations - on investments, prevention of trade in arms and
components for mass destruction, and on fighting corruption.
Granic said all speakers stressed the Pact's orientation toward
helping developing countries in the region and the development of
their democracies. Also emphasised was the integrative component
of the Pact, which supports mutual cooperation between the member-
states as well as their integration into European and transatlantic
associations. The Croatian minister said there "have been no
unacceptable ideas for our country".
Addressing the meeting, Granic supported the activities of the
Stability Pact so far, calling for transparency and equality
among the member-states. He stressed the active role of Croatia,
which has lead more than 50 projects, expressing hope that some of
them would be implemented.
"I also emphasised that Croatia favoured the individual approach to
the countries, which should be respected in trans-European
integration processes".
Granic also told reporters that prior to today's meeting the
Croatian delegation had been approached by US President Bill
Clinton, who inquired about the health of President Tudjman.
After he was informed of the President's health by Croatian Premier
Zlatko Matesa, Clinton expressed hope that President Tudjman would
recover.
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