LJUBLJANA, May 14 (Hina) - Slovenia-Croatia relations are very good, both in politics and the economy, Slovene Prime Minister Anton Rop said after talks with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, adding the talks addressed open issues and
that he expected to meet Croatian PM Ivica Racan soon.
LJUBLJANA, May 14 (Hina) - Slovenia-Croatia relations are very
good, both in politics and the economy, Slovene Prime Minister
Anton Rop said after talks with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic,
adding the talks addressed open issues and that he expected to meet
Croatian PM Ivica Racan soon. #L#
Rop said that at the talks, which he described as open and
constructive, it was agreed that open bilateral issues should be
resolved gradually.
The issue of foreign deposits Croatians made with Ljubljanska Bank
at the time of the Socialist Federal Yugoslavia (SFRY) will be
settled by seeking a solution for concrete depositors on the one
hand and by seeking a complex solution as part of succession to the
former federation on the other, said Rop, adding Croatian and
Slovene finance ministers would meet soon to discuss the issue.
If the parties involved conclude succession negotiations at the
Basel-based Bank for International Settlements are problematic,
Slovenia is willing to go to arbitration so that principled
solutions can be found, said Rop.
Slovenia's STA news agency quoted him as saying he hoped to meet the
Croatian PM in the near future so that talks on bilateral issues
could be continued on the governmental level.
Mesic ends the official part of his two-day trip to Slovenia today.
He addressed the Slovene parliament about relations between the two
countries, attended a business conference organised by the two
chambers of commerce, met parliament speaker Borut Pahor and
Ljubljana Archbishop Franc Rode.
The delegation Mesic headed included representatives of the
ministries for transport and European integration. Deputy PM
Slavko Linic also visited Ljubljana.
Businessmen from both countries said at the business conference
economic cooperation was good and could be intensified.
Marta Kos, vice president of Slovenia's chamber of commerce, said
Slovenia's import from Croatia was lower than export there but that
Croatia successfully made up for the trade deficit through a
surplus in tourism.
(hina) ha