EU Council of General Affairs to discuss Yugoslav war

Athens 14/05/1999 (ANA)
The European Union's Council of General Affairs will convene in Brussels on Monday to discuss, among others, the Yugoslav war. Greece will be represented by Alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis.
Montenegrin President Milo Juganovic has been invited to attend the Council meeting for talks with EU partners. Albanian Kosovo leader Ibrahim Rugova has also been invited, but it is not certain whether he will be present. An in-depth discussion is expected to take place, as well as an examination of the proposal on a Stability Pact, according to statements made to the press by Mr. Kranidiotis yesterday. Another issue expected to be discussed is the EU's defence identity.
Greece was due to notify the Council of General Affairs of its own positions and views in a memorandum it was to table yesterday on defence and the need of forming a Unified Defence and Foreign Policy. The memorandum was to be submitted to the EU's Presidency to distribute it to all member-states and to the European Commission.  "I think it is an important contribution to the discussion and also comes to supplement the German proposals, which have also been submitted, with the effort of precisely having them reach some specific conclusions at the Cologne summit," Mr. Kranidiotis said.
The EU's institutional issues will also be discussed at the Cologne summit. Namely, the EU's institutional issues which have been left pending since the Amsterdam meeting (such as the way with which decisions will be taken).
Other issues due to preoccupy the Council of General Affairs concern common strategy on Russia, the agreement between the EU and Egypt, the discussion of issues regarding South Africa, Latin America, the preparation of the Rio meeting, namely the meeting between the EU and Latin America, and the Middle East issue.