EUROPEAN INTEGRATION MINISTER & EU OFFICIAL DISCUSS ROYAUMONT

( Editorial: --> 7182 ) ZAGREB, March 4 (Hina) - Croatia supports the process of stability and establishment of good relations with neighbouring countries in south-east Europe included in the Royaumont process and "is prepared to, in regards to the EU initiative, support all those concrete projects in which it also has an interest," said Ljerka Mintas-Hodak, Minister for European Integration, on Wednesday following talks with EU official Panagiotis Roumeliotis. Panagiotis Roumeliotis is the coordinator of the Process of Stability and Good Neighbourly Relations in South-East Europe. The EU is continuing this "process from Royaumont" which commenced in December 1995 to improve security, cooperation and establishment of trust in south-east Europe. Back then, countries on the territory of the former Yugoslavia were not among signatories of the initiative. Roumeliotis expressed conviction that Croatia will cooperate in the Royaumont process in an active way, undertaking concrete projects, mainly in the education field. The Croatian Government's participation in that process would be strengthen bilateral ties between Croatia and the EU, he added. In February this year the French Foreign Minister, Hubert Vedrine, asserted in his speech before the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna that the entire south-east Europe needs alliance for stability and trust so that it would succeed in its economical and political transition. He had proposed that the Royaumont initiative which is under OSCE's patronage and includes Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece should be expanded to include countries of the former Yugoslavia and Austria. The European initiative, coordinated by Roumeliotis, was concretised on 6 January this year with a Plan of Action approved by the EU Council of Ministers. Roumeliotis said that he is now visiting the capital cities of south-east European countries in the framework of that plan to "exchange thoughts with government's of those countries about their priorities" and to "hear their proposals in regards to the Royaumont process" and realisation of its aims - improving cooperation and good neighbourly relations. Given that there are many existing initiatives with the same objective - promoting cooperation in south-east Europe - Roumeliotis announced that a conference is planned for April this year in Athens under the auspices of the EU which would for the first time invite representatives of the South-East European Cooperation Initiative (SECI), the Central European Initiative (SEI), OSCE and the Council of Europe. Disassociating himself from all notions of rivalry between various similar initiatives or those with the same aim, especially in regards to the EU's relation with the American initiative SECI, Roumeliotis emphasised "good relations with the US government", "continual contact" and "mutual cooperation". We have the same aim and that is to promote cooperation and good neighbourly relations in south-east Europe but the SECI initiative concentrates more on the economic aspect of the stabilisation process and we work more on the social and political, explained Roumeliotis. Exercising his mandate, to date Roumeliotis has already visited Albania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary and Russia. Following Zagreb he said that he will go to Athens then Slovenia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Hezegovina. (hina) jn mrb 042123 MET mar 98