S.E.C.I. COUNTRIES MEET IN GENEVA

GENEVA, June 25 (Hina) - The Programme Committee of the US-launched Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) held a third meeting in Geneva on Wednesday. Besides delegations from the 11 participating states, the meeting was also attended by the US President's special envoy, Ambassador Richard Schifter, and representatives of the European Commission, the World Bank and several other interested organisations and countries. Opening the meeting, SECI coordinator Erhard Busek announced that following a letter from Slovene Foreign Minister Zoran Thaler, Slovenia had become a full member of the Initiative. Croatia participates in the work of the SECI as an observer but takes an active part in projects which it assesses are in its national and economic interest. In the continuation of the session, heads of working groups reported on preparations for the implementation of priority cooperation projects. Croatia showed the greatest interest in a project aimed at overcoming difficulties and traffic jams at border crossings and a project on the expansion of gas supply in the region. The Croatian delegation has drafted projects for investment in the development of three border crossings towards Hungary and Slovenia. If the two countries accept the Croatian proposals, they will be implemented through the SECI with the financial assistance of the World Bank. A World Bank official told the session that the bank was willing to co-finance investments in several important border crossings in the region under one credit umbrella. (hina) vm 251604 MET jun 97