Adriatic cooperation

Six nations around the Adriatic and Ionian seas are today concluding talks in the Italian city of Ancona on ways of strengthening regional cooperation.

The countries are due to sign an agreement setting up a body that deals with regional issues ranging from economic cooperation to the fight against organised crime.

The Italian hosts say the new body will also seek to enhance stability in the region, but correspondents say the absence of Serbia from among the participants raises questions of its effectiveness in the field.

The junior partner in the Yugoslav Federation, Montenegro, is participating as an observer. The other participants are Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy and Slovenia.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service