Media are kindly invited to a briefing on the exercice called "Taming the Dragon – Dalmatia 2002", which will be held on 22-24 May in the Makarska area (Croatia),

on 17 May 2002 at 10.30h

Office of the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe

50 Rue Wiertz - 1050 Brussels

2nd floor (OHR Meeting Room)

The briefing will be given by:

- Stephen Orosz, Director CEPD - Civil Emergency Planning Directorate NATO

- Ambassador Vladimir Drobnjak, Chairman of the Stability Pact Working Table III (Security)

- Evert G. J. Somers, Euro Atlantic Disaster Response Co-ordination Centre, NATO

The firefighting exercise is the biggest such event ever conducted in Europe, with up to 1'000 participants representing 100 firefighting and rescue teams. It is jointly organized by Croatia and NATO in cooperaton with the Stability Pact. (See press advisory of 6 May 2002.)

For further information, pls contact Ms. Ariane Quentier, NATO Press Officer, Relations with Media, Tel. +32 (2) 707.14.59, Fax. +32 (2) 707.50.57 / 58, e-mail: a.quentier@hq.nato.int .