SKOPLJE, February 23 (Tanjug) - The participants of the summit Process for the cooperation of the Southeastern European countries have today strongly condemned violence, terrorism, extremism and all other activities that threaten peace, coexistence and hamper refugees' return to Kosovo and Metohija.

This is a key element of the political declaration adopted this evening at the close of summit in Skoplje.

The Declaration condemns specifically "ethnically motivated violence by the armed extremists in southern Serbia" and warns that it might destabilize the whole region. The document urges that the extremists unconditionally and immediately desist from all armed operations.

The Balkan leaders have also urged for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and welcomed the Yugoslav and Serbian Governments' plan for settling the crisis in southern Serbia.

The Declaration stresses a need for an international assistance for the economic and social development of southern Serbia, which would significantly contribute to the stability in the region.

The summit participants "have encouraged Yugoslavia" and its two federal units in their efforts to reach a generally acceptable agreement on mutual relations through a democratic process, avoiding unilateral actions.

The summit participants have strongly supported in the final political document the edification of peace and stability and an all-around development of the countries of the Southeastern Europe. They have also urged for the full cooperation with the European and Euro Atlantic structures.

The Declaration reaffirms all ten basic principles of the Charter of the Process, among which the most important are territorial integrity, equality of all, renouncing of the threat or the use of force, inviolability of the borders, peaceful settlement of disputes and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states.

The Action Plan for regional economic cooperation, also adopted this evening, stresses the orientation of the Southeastern European countries towards joining European and Euro Atlantic integrations.

The Action Plan underlines the importance of mutual regional economic cooperation and the cooperation with the Balkan Stability Pact and other related regional initiatives.

The Action Plan contains eight elements: economic and social development and reforms in Southeastern Europe, development of trade, promotion of direct foreign investment, infrastructural development, organized fight against crime and corruption, cooperation with European regional initiatives and implementation of the Action Plan.

Almost all participants of today's summit in Skoplje underscored that the summit was completely successful and that it opened a new chapter in the regional cooperation of the Balkan countries.

The fourth summit of the Process countries was devoted to the actions of ethnic Albanian terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija and in southern Serbia. It was planned to be exclusively devoted to the economic cooperation, but the escalation of violence of ethnic Albanian terrorists forced the participants of the summit most seriously to discuss that problem.

The Yugoslav delegation at the summit in Skoplje got a full satisfaction for the efforts of the Yugoslav and Serbian Governments, not only to end the violence, but also to find permanent solution for the crisis in the region.