ROME/LJUBLJANA, Oct 4 (Hina) - Slovene Prime Minister Anton Rop has voiced concern about the Croatian parliament's decision of Friday to proclaim an ecological and fishing zone in the Adriatic Sea in a year's time.
ROME/LJUBLJANA, Oct 4 (Hina) - Slovene Prime Minister Anton Rop has
voiced concern about the Croatian parliament's decision of Friday
to proclaim an ecological and fishing zone in the Adriatic Sea in a
year's time. #L#
Rop is in Rome attending a meeting of current and future European
Union members focusing on EU reforms and the adoption of its first
Constitution.
"We are concerned about this unilateral decision which is not in the
European spirit of decision-making. This is also the opinion of
European Commission (EC) President Romano Prodi, with whom I had a
brief talk," Rop told Slovene Radio and other Slovene reporters
covering the Rome event.
"Our common wish is to find a way out of this situation which is
potentially conflictive. We need to analyse things and find a
solution within the next year, before Croatia's decision goes into
force," Rop said, adding that "the solution for the Adriatic Sea has
to be in the common interest of all sides, both in terms of fishing
and ecological protection".
He said Slovenia would promote its stance within the Adriatic-
Ionian Initiative and in cooperation with other Mediterranean
countries, notably through dialogue with Italy.
Slovenia's leading political parties today criticised Croatia's
decision, stressing that it infringed on Slovenia's national
interest in the Adriatic.
The stand of the government and parliament will be clearer on
Monday, said Tone Anderlih, chairman of the club of deputies of the
ruling coalition's strongest party -- the Liberal Democrats.
The government fishing adviser, Franc Potocnik, said it was
irrelevant for Slovenia whether Croatia proclaimed an exclusive
economic zone or an ecological and fishing zone.
Slovene fishermen will not feel the new regime, among other things,
because of the Croatia-Slovenia agreement on border traffic and
cooperation which allows them to fish in Croatian sea waters from
Ankaran to Lovrecica, he explained. Another protection mechanism
is that in the future, Croatia will discuss such matters with the EC
instead of with Slovenia, he added.
Janez Jansa, president of the opposition Slovene Democrats, shared
a similar view. Next year Slovenia's position in negotiations with
Croatia will be better because of the former's upcoming membership
in the European Union and NATO, he said, adding that Croatia
recognised Slovenia's access to the open sea and international
waters "back in 1991" and that this should remain so.
Maritime law expert Marko Pavliha told Slovene electronic media
that Slovenia could not counter Croatia's decision before
international courts but must opt for deft diplomacy instead.
(hina) ha sb