ZAGREB, Sept 3 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic's foreign policy advisor, Ivica Mastruko, has said that statements by Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel about Slovenia's intention to reconsider its support for Croatia's
admission to the European Union should not be taken "as the position of the Slovene leadership".
ZAGREB, Sept 3 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic's foreign
policy advisor, Ivica Mastruko, has said that statements by Slovene
Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel about Slovenia's intention to
reconsider its support for Croatia's admission to the European
Union should not be taken "as the position of the Slovene
leadership". #L#
In an interview with Croatian television on Tuesday night, Mastruko
said that one should keep in mind that Croatia's admission to the EU
was very much in Slovenia's interest.
"I do not believe that Rupel's threats about Slovenia withholding
support for Croatia should be taken as the position of the Slovene
leadership," said Mastruko, once Croatia's ambassador to
Ljubljana.
He added that Slovenia had so far always supported Croatia's
admission to the EU at all levels.
"Also, one should keep in mind that Croatia's admission to the EU is
not only in the interest of Croatia, but Slovenia as well," he
added.
The EU is concerned about the dispute between Croatia and Slovenia
regarding the proclamation of an economic zone in the Adriatic, but
it does not consider the matter to be within its jurisdiction, and
is primarily interested in an agreement on the proclamation of
fishing zones in the Mediterranean, Mastruko said.
Italy, the current EU chair, has proposed that a meeting on fishing
zones in the Mediterranean be held in Venice at the end of this year,
Mastruko said, adding that the proclamation of fishing zones in the
Adriatiac as part of the Mediterranean required an agreement
between Italy, Slovenia, Albania, and Serbia and Montenegro.
On Monday, Slovenia recalled its ambassador to Croatia for
consultations after Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula had
said in an interview with the "Slobodna Dalmacija" daily that
Slovenia did not have access to the open sea and that the agreement
on the border between the two countries was invalid.
Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said on Tuesday that his
country might reconsider its support for Croatia's admission to the
EU.
(hina) rml