USIA: Press Release on New Southeast European Initiative, 96-12-04

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From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>

TEXT: PRESS RELEASE ON NEW SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN INITIATIVE

(Geneva is site of inaugural SECI forum Dec. 5-6) (580)

Ambassador Richard Schifter, special advisor to the president and the secretary of state for SECI, and Ambassador Daniel L. Spiegel, U.S. permanent representative to the U.N. in Geneva, will host the inaugural meeting.

Participating nations are Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey.

Following is a December 4 press release from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva:

(Begin text)

INITIATIVE PROMOTES REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

Geneva-- Representatives from the nations of southeastern Europe will meet in Geneva December 5-6 to participate in the launching of an initiative designed to encourage regional economic and environmental cooperation in the region.

The inaugural meeting of the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) will be hosted by Ambassador Richard Schifter and Ambassador Daniel L. Spiegel, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.

Ambassador Schifter serves as special assistant to the president for national security affairs and counselor on the staff of the National Security Council. President Clinton appointed him on October 28 to serve also in the newly created post of special advisor to the president and the secretary of state for the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative.

The purpose of SECI is to act as a forum for the discussion and joint implementation of programs to improve economic and environmental conditions in southeastern Europe. By strengthening regional cooperation among the participating states, SECI will help promote the integration of the region into European and transatlantic institutions.

Playing a major role at the December 5-6 meeting are Ambassador Lode Willems, chairman of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), and Yves Berthelot, executive secretary of the ECE. The ECE is the U.N. body which promotes regional cooperation and the improvement of economic relations among the countries of Europe and North America. It is anticipated that the ECE will play a crucial role in the implementation of the initiative.

The agenda for the two-day meeting includes discussion of a broad range of trade, transportation, energy and environment issues. It will bring together high level representatives from 11 nations: Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey.

Serbia was among the 12 nations originally invited to attend, but the invitation to Belgrade was withdrawn because of that government's decision to annul the recent municipal elections.

"Our aim is that SECI will provide a forum in which member states can discuss common transboundary economic and environmental programs and identify solutions to them," Ambassador Schifter said. "The idea is to establish a framework for the closest possible coordination and cooperation so that the various initiatives for this region complement and enhance one another."

International financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and the World Bank, as well as private sector donors, are also expected to be involved in SECI's efforts. One of SECI's major goals is to attract private sector investment to the region.

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