LJUBLJANA, Oct 4 (Hina) - Slovene Prime Minister Anton Rop told national electronic media on Saturday his country would start talks on the protection of the Adriatic Sea with Italy next week.
LJUBLJANA, Oct 4 (Hina) - Slovene Prime Minister Anton Rop told
national electronic media on Saturday his country would start talks
on the protection of the Adriatic Sea with Italy next week. #L#
"We won't strain the situation and make unilateral steps like
Croatia," he said, announcing that Slovene Foreign Minister
Dimitrij Rupel and his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini would
meet as early as Monday to address the protection of interests in
the Adriatic and the definition of joint views.
Rop told POP-TV the establishment of a joint ecological and fishing
zone which Italy and Slovenia wanted in cooperation with other
Adriatic countries was now "much more difficult" following the
Croatian parliament's "unilateral decision" on the ecological and
fishing zone.
The Slovene PM said there were no major differences between an
exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic and Croatia's proclamation
of an ecological and fishing zone but that symbolically, room had
been left for negotiations. He added, however, that it was unlikely
Croatia would take a step backwards.
Rop said he discussed the expansion of Croatia's jurisdiction in
the Adriatic with European Commission President Romano Prodi,
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi and Greek PM Costas Simitis in Rome
today. He said none voiced a positive opinion of Croatia's move, but
added they recommended that interested parties sit down and talk.
Rop announced he would meet Prodi once again before the Venice
conference on the protection of the Mediterranean due to take place
later this year.
He dismissed opposition leader Janez Jansa's proposal that the
Slovene government move a bill as early as Monday to prevent the
proclamation of Croatia's extended jurisdiction in the Adriatic.
Rop said Slovenia would not enter conflicts and had the EU's
support.
(hina) ha