"As long as there is no agreement on the state border it is unacceptable to change the situation by unilateral moves. The situation that existed on June 25, 1991 should be respected," Jansa said, referring to the date the two countries declared independence from the Yugoslav federation.
Jansa said that the dyke near the village of Hotiza on the left bank of the Mura river had in the past been maintained by Slovenia and that it was now in such a state that it needed to be repaired, but that this should not be done without agreement.
"Even after months of talks with Croatia no agreement has been reached. Slovenia has proposed that the dyke be reconstructed jointly, but Croatia has begun work without prior agreement. That's why Slovenia had to react," Jansa said, explaining why Slovenia had on Monday dispatched a special police unit near the border crossing where construction work was already under way.
The Slovene prime minister said that he had discussed the matter by telephone several times this week with his Croatian counterpart, Ivo Sanader, adding that they did not meet in person because the views on the dyke and the border on the Mura river were still not harmonised. He expressed hope the views would be harmonised in line with the Brijuni declaration on avoidance of incidents.