LJUBLJANA, Aug 19 (Hina) - EU Agriculture and Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler's PR officer, Gregor Kreizhuber, confirmed on Tuesday that the commissioner had received a joint letter by Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Franc But in which they expressed opposition to the proclamation of Croatia's economic zone in the Adriatic. Kreizhuber said he was not acquainted with the content of the letter, adding that Fischler would respond after studying it.
LJUBLJANA, Aug 19 (Hina) - EU Agriculture and Fisheries
Commissioner Franz Fischler's PR officer, Gregor Kreizhuber,
confirmed on Tuesday that the commissioner had received a joint
letter by Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel and Agriculture
and Forestry Minister Franc But in which they expressed opposition
to the proclamation of Croatia's economic zone in the Adriatic.
Kreizhuber said he was not acquainted with the content of the
letter, adding that Fischler would respond after studying it. #L#
The EU does not oppose the establishment of fishing zones in
principle, but on the other hand, it does oppose a unilateral
proclamation of exclusive economic zones because they do not
function if all interested states are not included in them,
Kreizhuber said.
He recalled that the European Commission was to organise a special
conference in Venice for the end of the year, focusing on that
subject.
The Slovene radio reported that Rupel and But forwarded their
letter also to the EU's foreign policy directorate.
In the letter, the ministers say that Croatia cannot proclaim an
economic belt in the Adriatic, or any other zone, without adopting
the agreement initialled by the two countries' prime ministers on
the border between Croatia and Slovenia.
(hina) lml