LJUBLJANA, Jan 11 (Hina) - Slovene Prime Minister Anton Rop has dismissed speculations that the statement by an expert on succession to the former Yugoslavia, Rudolf Gabrovec, that Slovenia had no obligations whatsoever towards the
Croatian clients of Lubljanska Bank Zagreb was the result of a more "aggressive" policy of his government.
LJUBLJANA, Jan 11 (Hina) - Slovene Prime Minister Anton Rop has
dismissed speculations that the statement by an expert on
succession to the former Yugoslavia, Rudolf Gabrovec, that
Slovenia had no obligations whatsoever towards the Croatian
clients of Lubljanska Bank Zagreb was the result of a more
"aggressive" policy of his government. #L#
"Gabrovec made his stands (about Croatian financial legislation
from 1991) known to the former government several months ago and he
was given a legal opinion which he now presented. I was informed
about that, but I didn't give him any instructions," Rop told the
"Delo" daily of Saturday, dismissing speculation in some Slovene
papers that Gabrovec's statements reflect a more aggressive and
offensive foreign policy of the new government than was the policy
of former Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek and that they are connected
with a meeting Rop should hold with Croatian Prime Minister Ivica
Racan in Zagreb next week.
A commentary in "Delo" questions the timing of Gabrovec's
statements and notes that, if the documents on Croatia's having
accepted to pay the Ljubljanska Bank's debt to its Croatian
depositors, recently "discovered" by the Slovene media, are really
founded, it would be better to use them "as an ace up one's sleeve"
at a discussion about lawsuits filed against Ljubljanska Bank, to
be held at the Council of Europe soon.
Some Slovene papers note that the problem of Ljubljanska Bank and
its obligations in south-east European countries should be solved
primarily due to the negative effects it has on Slovenia's image and
because it is an obstacle to Slovene investments in Croatia, Bosnia
and Macedonia.
(hina) rml