Stability Pact: Working Table III : Security Issues

Working Table III : Security Issues

	Working Table III deals with questions of both internal and external security. The aim is to establish a stable security environment in the region and to promote regional co-operation in fighting organised crime and corruption and on migration issues. It is divided into two sub-tables. The first one deals with Justice and Home Affairs and the second one with Defence and Security Sector Reform issues.
	Working Table III: ARCHIVES / Documents
	SEESAC, the SP-UNDP Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, has produced a summary of the progress made to date towards the objectives of the SCSP SALW Regional Implementation Plan (RIP). The last summary update was provided in September 2005 [Read document]
	An extraordinary meeting of the MARRI Regional Forum, held on 26 June in Skopje, approved the nomination of Dr. Trpe Stojanovski (Republic of Macedonia) as the new Director of the MARRI Regional Centre. This meeting was also the occasion for the the Member States representatives to review the Strategy for the rest of 2007 and adopt changes to the basic documents of the Centre. [Link]
	The last meeting of the Multinational Advisory Group (MAG) of RACVIAC took an important decision regarding RACVIAC's future status, which addresses the key aspects of the new role of RACVIAC as a "Centre for Security Cooperation". This decision covers issues such as membership, legal status, relations with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) as well as with other international partners, scope of activities and human resources. A new mechanism for the financing of RACVIAC was also approved during the meeting. The MAG also elected Ambassador Nedžad Hadžimusić from Bosnia and Herzegovina as the new Director of RACVIAC for 2007-2009. Ambassador Hadžimusić will take over his duty early October this year. Links: RACVIAC Home Page Annual Contribution to the Core Budget of RACVIAC MAG DECISIONS ON FUTURE STATUS OF RACVIAC
	Working Table III organised a Seminar dedicated to "Regional Security Cooperation in SEE: from Stability Pact to Regional Cooperation Council". Representatives from some of the Stability Pact Working Table III Task Forces, representatives from the SEE region and outside, as well as from international partner organisations participated in this meeting, which was opened by Dr. Busek, Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact. Participants took stock of the progress achieved so far within the initiatives of the Stability Pact WT III, and, in the light of the future transition to the Regional Cooperation Council, discussed ways to build on these results in order to enhance regional and international security cooperation. [more information]
	Regional Table Meeting in Zagreb, 10 May 2007 [more]
	The Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI) Regional Forum, the steering body of the initiative, was held in Sarajevo on 26 April 2007, under the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which handed over the one-year Presidency of the initiative to the Republic of Croatia. State Representatives, as well as representatives from international organisations (Stability Pact, European Commission, IOM, ICMPD and UNHCR) and several donor countries participated in the meeting. In the final Declaration that was adopted, the MARRI Member States committed themselves to improve the level of regional ownership, mainly through taking over the full responsibility for decision-making and for jointly financing the running costs of the MARRI Regional Centre from 2008 onwards. They also agreed to nominate an appropriate candidate to the post of Director before the summer 2007. [Link to MARRI Website]
	The European Commission, represented by Vice President Franco Frattini and the Ministers of Interior of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro signed on 13 April, in Zagreb, an agreement on visa facilitation and readmission agreements.[Link to the news report of the EC]