LJUBLJANA, March 19 (Hina) - Slovenia intends to open the issue of Croatia's measures in the transport of hazardous substances before the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) trade council on Friday. Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij
Rupel on Tuesday held talks with WTO general director Mike Moore about the possibility of initiating a lawsuit before the organisation, the Slovene ministry said in a statement.
LJUBLJANA, March 19 (Hina) - Slovenia intends to open the issue of
Croatia's measures in the transport of hazardous substances before
the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) trade council on Friday.
Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel on Tuesday held talks with
WTO general director Mike Moore about the possibility of initiating
a lawsuit before the organisation, the Slovene ministry said in a
statement. #L#
"We are trying to solve the dispute we have with Croatia on the
bilateral level. If we do not succeed, we cannot exclude the
possibility of solving the dispute within the WTO," Rupel said
during talks with Moore.
After unsuccessful talks between Croatian and Slovene
representatives about the issue, Dimitrij Grcar, an official at the
Slovene Economy Ministry, said Monday it had not yet come to a
formal suit for damage compensation to Slovene oil carriers. Their
expenses have risen in trade with Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro
because of Croatia's introduction of oil transport corridors and
increased customs control, he said.
Croatian Deputy economy Minister Olgica Spevec said after the
meeting in Ljubljana on Monday that the biggest problem was that
Slovenia insisted on making the case an international one.
The measures Croatia undertook in an attempt to protect the
environment and prevent smuggling were not discriminatory because
they applied to both domestic and foreign goods, Spevec said. The
Slovene side presented its list of requests only at the end of the
meeting, she added.
(hina) lml sb