Speaking to reporters after the session, which was held behind closed doors, commission co-chairman Dusan Bilandzic of Croatia said the commission's task was not to seek solutions for outstanding border issues, but shed light on historical facts. That is why its members will issue a book on the development of Slovenia and Croatia from the middle of the 19th century to 1991, Bilandzic said.
"This proposal is in line with the very positive plans and policies of our two governments to ensure that Slovenia and Croatia are developing as friendly countries and partners, especially once Croatia has joined the EU," Bilandzic said, adding that no serious conflicts between the two peoples had been recorded in the said period.
The book will not deal with daily political events because it will cover events which occurred before the establishment of Croatia and Slovenia as independent states in 1991. The commission will operate independently and it will not serve as a basis for political decision-making or arbitration, Bilandzic said.
Commission chairman Janko Prunk of Slovenia said today's session tackled the plan and methods of the commission's work. Rules of procedure will be defined until the next meeting of the commission, which is scheduled to take place in Slovenia this autumn, he said.
"The historical research will cover four periods - Croatia and Slovenia in the Hapsburg monarchy, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, in the national liberation struggle and revolution, and in the Socialist Yugoslavia," Prunk said, adding that the book on the development of the two countries would be completed in two years.
Asked whether the results of their research would have an impact on the settlement of outstanding issues between the two countries, Bilandzic said the commission's work would mostly contribute to increasing trust between the two peoples and creating an atmosphere of good neighbourly relations.