STARSBOURG, 6 Nov (Hina) - The Council of Europe, to which Croatia was admitted as its 40th member on Wednesday, had not viewed the past four years as a period of shutting Croatia out, but as a period of its getting closer to the
Council, said Estonia's Foreign Minister Siim Kallas, president of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.
STARSBOURG, 6 Nov (Hina) - The Council of Europe, to which Croatia
was admitted as its 40th member on Wednesday, had not viewed the
past four years as a period of shutting Croatia out, but as a
period of its getting closer to the Council, said Estonia's Foreign
Minister Siim Kallas, president of the Council of Europe Committee
of Ministers. #L#
The four years following Croatia's application for full
membership in the Council of Europe were marked by a brutal war in
Croatia's neighborhood and those were the years of intense
cooperation in which Croatia participated in many activities.
Kallas stressed that Croatia's role at tonight's unofficial
meeting of the Committee of Ministers would be very important. The
meeting, which will focus on security in Europe, will be attended
by the high representative for the civil part of the Dayton peace
agreement, Carl Bildt.
The presence of Croatia's Foreign Minister Mate Granic at
Thursday's session of the Committee of Ministers would also be very
important, Kallas said, adding that the session would focus on the
preservation of democracy after the enlargement of the Council of
Europe.
(hina) rm jn
061351 MET nov 96