ZAGREB, 29 Jan (Hina) - The Program Committee of the South-Eastern European Cooperation Initiative (SECI) on Wednesday held its first session in the U.N. headquarters in Geneva.
ZAGREB, 29 Jan (Hina) - The Program Committee of the South-Eastern
European Cooperation Initiative (SECI) on Wednesday held its first
session in the U.N. headquarters in Geneva. #L#
The session was attended by a special representative of the
U.S. President, Richard Schifter and the Initiative's coordinator
Erhard Busek, as well as by high business delegations from Albania,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Moldavia,
Romania, Slovenia, Macedonia, Turkey and members of two interested
countries which are not part of the region - Italy and Russia.
The session was also attended by delegations of the World
Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European
Union, European Union Commission and leading officials of the U.N.
Economic Commission for Europe.
Croatia, which is not a formal SECI member but which showed
interest in individual concrete projects which are to be considered
by the Initiative, is represented by Croatia's Ambassador with the
U.N. in Geneva, Darko Bekic.
During a discussion on a document on ways of SECI work, the
Croatian representative proposed several changes of or amendments
to the text of the document, with the aim of stressing the
voluntary factor, that is, free decision-making of SECI member-
states in joining individual investment projects. Bekic supported
the idea that SECI projects be linked and supplemented with
activities which are being carried out within the Central-European
Initiative (SEI) or European Commission, so that no overlapping or
doubling of efforts or means could happen.
The second part of the meeting was dedicated to a discussion
about a group of projects proposed by the U.N. Economic Commission
for Europe.
After an extensive discussion, the delegations participating
in the session decided to start implementing the following
projects:
1. removal of bottlenecks in international transport
2. construction of experimental zones of effective use of power
3. linking of gas supply systems
4. establishment of financial policy measures adequate for small
and medium entrepreneurs
5. reconstruction of the Danube river course from the point of view
of protection of environment
6. removal of administrative obstacles in regional trade
Bulgaria, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria and Greece
agreed to be hosts of special working groups which are to develop
those projects and prepare their implementation.
The Croatian delegation at the session has gathered
documentation on all above-mentioned projects as well as on stances
of its neighbors.
Croatian ministries will decide on possible participation of
the Republic of Croatia in the implementation of those projects.
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