THE DAY IN POLITICS / (eu) eu/general affairs council

Brussels, 07/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - As previously indicated (see yesterday's EUROPE, pages 5 and 6), next Monday's General Affairs Council will hold new talks on the situations in the western Balkans. During this, it will not only discuss the ways to strengthen the EU support for democratic forces in Serbia (on the subject of the FRY, see below), but it will also look at the situation: - in Kosovo, in particular concerning the security conditions, which remain alarming, the selection of representatives for the Serb National Council as observers within the Kosovan Transitional Council and the constructive meeting of the contact group, last 28 March in Paris; - in Montenegro, notably for reiterating its condemnation of the attempts by Serbia to destabilise it and continue to examine the possibilities to mobilise an additional financial aid and to facilitate trade with the EU; - in Croatia where the visit of the Troika of the 28 March enabled them to note the efforts recently made in terms of political and economic reforms, regional cooperation and normalisation with neighbouring countries: all this should lead the Council to ask the Commission to present in June its feasibility study on an stabilisation and association agreement; - in Bosnia-Herzegovina to notably examine the results of the municipal elections, which will take place this 8 April and underline he need for full implementation of the Dayton agreement; - in Albania to take note in particular of a report by the Prime Minister Meta, of last 21 March, on the initiatives already launched or considered by the Albanian authorities in the priority areas identified by the feasibility report on the negotiation of an EU/Albania association and stability agreement. Furthermore, Bodo Hombach, the co-ordinator of the stability pact for South Eastern Europe will report on the results of the Donors Conference on the 29 and 30 March in Brussels and on the way in which to ensure a suitable follow-up (see EUROPE of 31 March, p6). Finally the Ecofin Council welcomed the Italian initiative of holding a conference on the Adriatic sea region (the 19 and 20 May in Acone) in view of developing regional cooperation in economic, cultural, environmental, infrastructure and transport areas as well as the fight against organised crime, smuggling and illegal immigration.

Furthermore, next Monday in Luxembourg, the Council will:

• As for Burma, decide, during the debate on the extension of the present common position, whether or not, in the absence of progress in this country, include in this joint position a strengthening of restrictive measures by the EU. At the same time, the Council will examine the opportunity of establishing a "political dialogue" with Burma so as to encourage this country to re-establish democracy and fundamental rights and the possibility of restarting the EU/Asean dialogue, in view of the holding of a ministerial meeting in Asia in the second quarter of this year.
• As for Zimbabwe, examine the deterioration of the situation, notable following the negative result of the referendum last February on constitutional reform and the reform of land ownership (which provoked last February the resurgence of old battles on the land held by whites, with the support of President Mugabe) and following recent violence by former fighters against peaceful demonstrators. The Council may consider the initiatives to be taken by the EU, for example to insure that the elections planned for May will be fair and transparent and that EU aid will be properly used to fight poverty and consolidate democracy in this ACP country. At this stage the Commission is not proposing to suspend aid which Zimbabwe benefits from in the framework of the Lomé Convention: this suspension could be considered, as foreseen by Article 366 of the ACP/EU Convention, if Zimbabwe violates the principals that are the basis of cooperation with the EU.