AHEAD OF CEI SUMMIT IN CROATIA

ZAGREB, Nov 19 (Hina) - The Summit of the Central European Initiative (CEI) in Zagreb on November 20 and 21, which will complete Croatia's one-year presidency over the organisation, will be an opportunity for the 16 member-countries to discuss means of further cooperation, drawing closer to the European Union, and stability in the region. Prime ministers of all member-countries except for Albania, Austria, Macedonia and Poland, including nine foreign ministers, are to participate at this "most important international conference since the establishment of Croatia's statehood," as described by Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa. The CEI will use this conference to make the first step in intensifying relations with the European Union, although some of its members are already holding individual negotiations on joining the organisation. The beginning of significant relations between the CEI and EU are to be marked by talks between the CEI Troika (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and the Czech Republic) with the EU chairman, Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schuessel, and a representative of the European Commission. A spokesman for the Croatian Foreign Ministry, Zeljko Trkanjec, announced last week that participants will discuss particularly the implementation of the peace agreement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the situation in Albania and Kosovo, by which the CEI, as a "regional initiative, will continue its contribution to the establishment of Europe's security foundation". According to Trkanjec, besides representatives of member- countries, participating will also be officials of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and development (OECD), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Black-Sea economic cooperation organisations, UN Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) and organisations for security and cooperation represented by Poland's Foreign Minister, Bronislaw Geremek. The Summit is taking place simultaneously with the CEI Summit Economic Forum (SEC) for the first time. Participating are representatives of 170 companies and institutions, half of which are foreign companies. This meeting will also focus on drawing closer to the European Union, which is endorsed by the fact that British Minister of Trade Brian Wilson will be present. According to Croatian Economy Minister Nenad Porges, Croatia will use the conference for numerous bilateral meetings, especially for negotiations on free trade with member-countries of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). The Central European Initiative is the oldest and largest regional cooperation organisation in Europe and currently gathers 16 countries: Albania, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belorussia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldavia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Ukraine. Every member-country takes turns to preside over the organisation for a year. The Czech Republic will assume the duty in 1999. The CEI foundations were laid on November 22, 1989, when the foreign ministers of Austria, Italy, the former Yugoslavia, and Hungary, at a meeting in Budapest formulated and accepted the Joint Declaration on the establishment of "quadrigonale". By admitting to the membership the then Czechoslovakia, at the foreign ministers' meeting in Vienna on May 20, 1990, a "pentagonal" was established, which, on the admission of Poland at the joint meeting of prime ministers and foreign ministers of member-countries in Dubrovnik on July 26 and 27, 1991, turned into the "hexagonal". At the meeting of foreign ministers of member-countries in Venice on November 30, 1991, the name Central European Initiative was introduced. The CEI's main goals are to consolidate cooperation among member- states, joining European integration processes and help in the process of transition of post-communist countries. (hina) lml/sp