ROME CONFERENCE START OF STABILITY PACT IMPLEMENTATION - CRO REP

ROME, Dec 17 (Hina) - The Rome conference marks the beginning of the implementation stage of the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, Croatia's coordinator for the Pact told Friday's meeting of the Pact's Round Table for Economy. "The willingness to begin with concrete project implementation has been confirmed, and we can optimistically look to next year because some of our projects have been accepted, the Adriatic Highway (project) for instance," said Drobnjak. He announced those interested in the highway project would discuss it a January 17 meeting in the southern Croatian port of Dubrovnik, and added that another 14 projects put forward by Croatia had also been accepted. Of 400 initial projects put forward by all interested countries, 118 passed the first round, including Croatia's 15. Drobnjak assessed today's meeting as much more effective than a previous one in Bari. Today's meeting, at which representatives of leading international institutions, from the European Union to the World Bank, spoke their views, was the last the Stability Pact would hold this year. At the next one, on January 13, preliminary talks will be held for a February meeting in Skopje, when Macedonia will take over presidency over the Pact and the first decisions on investments will be made. (hina) ha