SLOVENIA INSISTS ON EXPERT RATHER THAN POLITICAL MEETING ON EEZ

LJUBLJANA, Sept 10 (Hina) - Slovenia insists that the meeting scheduled for September 16 be held at the level of heads of the legal affairs departments of the foreign ministries at which Croatia is expected to voice its opinion about declaring an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Adriatic Sea. Slovene officials do not wish this to be a political meeting. #L# The head of the Slovene Foreign Ministry's Legal Affairs Department, Meta Bole, told the Slovene News Agency STA on Tuesday evening this would be a meeting of experts at which Croatia should present its standpoints about proclaiming an EEZ in the Adriatic. "This would be an exchange of expert opinions. The meeting will not be negotiations, but a foundation for future talks on the political level," Bole said. She added Slovenia still believed that there was a possibility for a border agreement without international arbitration, but that Croatia failed to officially inform Slovenia about such a possibility. (hina) it