He said the forum would deal with EU enlargement with a special emphasis on Croatia. Carteron said the Crans Montana Forum, the second forum to be held in Zagreb, would be attended by some 500 participants.
Apart from enlargement, the meeting will also focus on the fight against avian influenza, and Carteron said one of the important topics to be discussed would be tourism.
The press conference was also attended by a former Secretary General of the Council of Europe and member of the Crans Montana Forum Committee, Walter Schwimmer, who expressed satisfaction with the fact that the event was being held in Zagreb, adding that Croatia had made progress since the last forum in April 2005. He particularly underlined the successful launching of the country's EU membership talks.
Schwimmer said Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia must become EU members.
The Crans Montana Forum started on Wednesday afternoon with talks given by Carteron and Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.