Salzburg, Austria; July 8 (RFE/RL) -- Central and Eastern European political and business leaders are set to resume their Economic Summit in Salzburg today to discuss how to maintain economic momentum in the region.
Our correspondent says the regional leaders are discussing how realistic are proposed timetable and entry criteria for membership in NATO and the European Union. They also are studying how far the region's nations have come toward meeting membership criteria.
Later today, the summit will look at regional security,and discuss whether an alternative exists to expanding NATO to include central and Eastern European countries.
Yesterday, during opening remarks, Polish Prime Minister Wlodzimierz Cioszewics stressed the need for potential NATO members to include Russia in the dialogue leading up to membership. He said that, included, Russia might someday come to accept the alliance as more than a hostile aggressor.
The summit, which includes hundreds of political and business leaders from across the region, opened yesterday and is sponsored by the World Economic Forum, a private, non-profit foundation.