ZAGREB, Jan 9 (Hina) - Croatian Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac on Thursday strongly protested against statements by the Slovene government's representative in charge of succession to the former Yugoslavia, Rudolf Gabrovec, who said
that Slovene financial experts had evidence proving that Slovenia had no obligations towards Croatian citizens who once had savings in Ljubljanska Banka.
ZAGREB, Jan 9 (Hina) - Croatian Finance Minister Mato Crkvenac on
Thursday strongly protested against statements by the Slovene
government's representative in charge of succession to the former
Yugoslavia, Rudolf Gabrovec, who said that Slovene financial
experts had evidence proving that Slovenia had no obligations
towards Croatian citizens who once had savings in Ljubljanska
Banka. #L#
"This is a brazen attempt at manipulation, aimed at buying time at a
moment when Slovene economic interests in Yugoslavia and Bosnia-
Herzegovina face a realistic possibility of boycott and blockade,"
Crkvenac said at a regular government session.
The minister claims that the ultimate goal of such statements is to
stall the settlement of the issue of Ljubljanska Banka's debt to its
clients as long as possible, regardless of how unfair that may be to
Croatian depositors. "We therefore most strongly protest because
the issue has not been settled yet, which suits Slovenia," Crkvenac
said.
The dispute does not contribute to the development of good
relations between the two countries, Crkvenac said, voicing regret
over this fact.
"I hope for a more original formula which we could possibly discuss.
There is nothing new in this case and we completely reject both this
piece of news and this approach," the minister said.
The Slovene official in charge of succession issues, Rudi Gabrovec,
said on Wednesday that "in 1991 Croatia accepted the territorial
principle of payment of foreign currency savings, as did
Slovenia".
Croatia has taken over obligations towards the clients of all banks
that operated as legal persons in Croatia (for example, the clients
of Podravska Banka, which was a legal person owned by Ljubljanska
Banka), however, Ljubljanska Banka in Zagreb was a branch office of
Ljubljanska Banka from Ljubljana, which was entirely responsible
for its obligations, i.e. liabilities referring to depositors and
their deposits.
The head of the Croatian government's office for succession, Bozo
Marendic, said the problem of foreign currency savings of Croatian
citizens in Ljubljanska Banka was not part of the succession
project as claimed by Slovene officials.
"The problem of Ljubljanska Banka is not part of the succession
project," Marendic told Hina when asked to comment on claims by
Slovene officials that in 1991 Croatia had adopted a law
recognising that foreign currency savings in Ljubljanska Banka
were an obligation of the Croatian state.
Croatian officials believe that the issue of Ljubljanska Banka is a
matter of relations between the bank and its depositors.
Assistant Croatian Finance Minister Hrvoje Radovanic, who since
1995 has participated in talks regarding the settlement of this
issue, stated that it was not true that Croatia had accepted the
territorial principle of payment of foreign currency savings.
"That (principle) was accepted only by Slovenia and Yugoslavia,"
Radovanic said. Radovanic claims that Slovenia's interpretation
has no basis in any law or regulation adopted by Croatia.
(hina) rml sb