BRUSSELS: REPRESENTATIVES OF ADRIATIC COUNTRIES, EC MEET

BRUSSELS, Sept 23 (Hina) - Representatives of all Adriatic countries and the European Commission (EC) met on Tuesday at Croatia's initiative to discuss the protection of the Adriatic Sea on the margins of a Brussels preparatory meeting to a conference on fishing in the Mediterranean. #L# Everybody expressed concern for the preservation of the fish stock and the ecological protection of the Adriatic, Croatian Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Simonovic said, adding that this had been the first such meeting of all Adriatic countries bar Bosnia and Herzegovina. Simonovic said the meeting had been very useful, resulting in the opinion that the expansion of national jurisdiction is the only legal way to effectively protect biological resources in the Adriatic. There were also divergence in opinion. "Some delegations pointed to the need of reaching some agreements before national jurisdiction is expanded, while others pointed to the need of acting fast, in order to secure a legal instrument, and then to attempt, through dialogue, to define and harmonise measures which will most effectively protect the Adriatic." Simonovic said Croatia's position started from international law, namely that legal instruments for an effective protection could be secured only through the expansion of national jurisdiction. One should first create the legal instruments and only then harmonise a common policy, he added. At the meeting Croatia presented its position paper on the intention to expand jurisdiction in the Adriatic. The document was praised, notably its scientific aspect, particularly by Italy. Slovenia said bilateral issues with Croatia concerning the determination of borders should be settled before discussing protection of the Adriatic. The representative of the EC said mandatory arbitration was one of the ways of resolving problems, which Simonovic said the two countries' governments would have to take into account. Slovenia's state secretary at the foreign ministry, Iztok Mirosic, said today's meeting had been extremely useful and showed that the protection of the Adriatic could be addressed only on a multilateral level, without any unilateral decisions. The meeting showed very clearly that solutions acceptable to all can be arrived at only through dialogue involving all Adriatic countries, he said. (hina) ha