Kosovo's inclusion in Stability Pact extremely important - Swedish diplomat

Text of report in English by independent internet news agency KosovaLive

Prishtina [Pristina], 3 February: Jan Henrik Amberg, an official of the Swedish Foreign Ministry, said today in Prishtina that it is extremely important to have Kosova [Kosovo] involved in the process of the Stability Pact.

Amberg made those comments following a meeting with the government coordinator to the Stability Pact, Gazmend Qorraj, in Prishtina today.

Amberg was accompanied by the head of Swedish Liaison Office in Kosova, Ann Sofie Nilsson.

The officials discussed issue concerning the Stability Pact and all the initiatives, which have been initiated within the Stability Pact.

Amberg said that they considered the importance of Kosova in the regional aspect, "which is of course the priority of the Stability Pact and the idea is to create a framework for cooperation within the region."

"And we hope that all the priorities formulated here in Kosova will be taken into account by the participants and there are forty countries participating in the Stability Pact," Amberg said.

On the other hand, the Kosovar coordinator in the Office of Stability Pact in Kosova, Gazmend Qorraj, said that the Swedish government, through the SIDA Agency, is helping for preparing a national development plan.

Launched in 1999, the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe is the first comprehensive conflict-prevention strategy of the international community, aimed at strengthening the efforts of the countries of South East Europe in fostering peace, democracy, respect for human rights, and economic prosperity.

The Stability Pact provides a framework to stimulate regional cooperation and expedite integration into European and transatlantic structures. The pact's secretariat, located in Brussels, is organized into three units - Working Table I deals with issues of democratization and human rights, Working Table II with economic reconstruction, cooperation, and development matters, and Working Table III with security issues.

Source: KosovaLive website, Pristina, in English 3 Feb 06