BEDNJA, Sept 12 (Hina) - Speaking of the current state of relations with Slovenia in the light of Croatia's intention to declare an economic zone in the Adriatic, President Stjepan Mesic said on Friday that the two countries should
apply the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea and reach an agreement.
BEDNJA, Sept 12 (Hina) - Speaking of the current state of relations
with Slovenia in the light of Croatia's intention to declare an
economic zone in the Adriatic, President Stjepan Mesic said on
Friday that the two countries should apply the 1982 Convention on
the Law of the Sea and reach an agreement. #L#
"What Croatia wants to do will soon be done by Italy, Montenegro and
Albania, so that neither Croatia will have access to the open sea.
We must agree on a navigation regime in these economic zones," Mesic
said during his visit to Varazdin County.
The president added that sooner or later other countries would also
declare economic zones, and that tensions should not be raised
further, but that one should see how to deal with the problem of
protection of the fishing stock and the environment.
Commenting on the return of the Slovene ambassador to Zagreb, Mesic
said that his withdrawal to Ljubljana for consultations was too
harsh a measure.
Explaining his recent statement that during the existence of the
former Yugoslav federation Croatia had access to Austria at Sentilj
and Slovenia to the open sea, Mesic said this statement was
"symbolic".
Responding to a journalist's question as to what he knew about the
Gotovina case in the context of international pressure on Croatia
and about the role of Croatian intelligence services, Mesic said
that as far as he knew those services had no information about
Gotovina's whereabouts. "I believe them," he added.
After General Gotovina said in an interview with the Nacional
weekly that he recognised the Hague tribunal and Croatian
institutions and that the former government had not enabled him to
talk to tribunal investigators, "I stepped in to make it possible
for him to talk to the investigators," Mesic said.
The president called on Gotovina to take advantage of the present
atmosphere and defend his honour and the honour of Croatia.
Mesic would not comment on the statement by Hague tribunal chief
prosecutor Carla Del Ponte that the Croatian government knew where
Gotovina was and that she expected his extradition by October.
"I do not know who the sources of the chief prosecutor are, but our
intelligence services certainly do not know where Gotovina is," the
president said.
(hina) vm