HLUBOKA NAD VLTAVOU, March 27 (Hina) - The latest compromise proposal moved by European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn for the resolution of the Croatian-Slovene border dispute and for the resumption of Croatia's European Union
accession negotiations envisages the separation of the issue of border demarcation from the issue of Slovenia's access to the high seas, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said on Friday upon his arrival in the Czech town of Hluboka nad Vltavou for a two-day informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.
HLUBOKA NAD VLTAVOU, March 27 (Hina) - The latest compromise
proposal moved by European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn for the
resolution of the Croatian-Slovene border dispute and for the resumption of
Croatia's European Union accession negotiations envisages the separation of the
issue of border demarcation from the issue of Slovenia's access to the high
seas, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said on Friday upon his
arrival in the Czech town of Hluboka nad Vltavou for a two-day informal meeting
of EU foreign ministers. The issue of access to the high seas
should be separated from the border issue, which is a legal issue. If both
sides agree to it, this would be a big step forward, the Austrian official
said.
On Saturday, the ministerial conference will focus on EU enlargement
and the Western Balkans.
According to Spindelegger, Rehn's latest proposal supports the
engagement of an expert group led by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari
in tackling the legal aspects of border demarcation, treating access to the
high seas as a separate issue.
Spindelegger said Rehn had sent him a letter and talked to him on the
telephone about this compromise solution.
The Austrian official added that he had also talked with Croatia's
Foreign Minister on the telephone earlier on Friday.