CROATIA-AUSTRIA-SLOVENIA TO ESTABLISH CLOSER RELATIONS

( Editorial: --> 2604 ) SPLIT, Mar 26 (Hina)- Following their meeting in Split on Thursday Foreign Ministers of Croatia, Austria and Slovenia, Mate Granic, Wolfgang Schuessel and Boris Frlec respectively, made a joint statement, saying that the future trilateral cooperation between those countries would focus on economy, tourism, communications, transport, culture and organised crime. "The ministers agreed that enhanced cooperation would boost the quality of their relations, regardless of each country's relations with the European Union. Considering that the three countries have already built close relations as regional partners in the Alpe- Adria workgroup, they will support each other's efforts towards further integrations into common European mechanisms," says their joint statement. The ministers agreed their representatives in the UN would back up the Convention Against Illegal Immigration. Trilateral cooperation will be continued with regular consultations and meetings at appropriate levels. The three countries will meet at the workgroup levels and make joint efforts for international financing of relevant projects. The ministers also backed yesterday's statement by the Contact Group on Kosovo. The first trilateral meeting of Croatian, Austrian and Slovenian Foreign Ministers should have taken place in Dubrovnik, but due to gale force winds they were forced to land at the Split airport. After the meeting the ministers held a press briefing. (Hina) mm mr/mrb 261906 MET mar 98