ZAGREB, Aug 16 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan told reporters in Zagreb on Friday the situation in Piran Bay, which borders with Slovenia in the northern Adriatic, was better than in the past few days, and hoped it would remain
so.
ZAGREB, Aug 16 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan told reporters in
Zagreb on Friday the situation in Piran Bay, which borders with
Slovenia in the northern Adriatic, was better than in the past few
days, and hoped it would remain so. #L#
"The Croatian side keeps the situation under control and we are
certain that we are entitled to the position we are defending,"
Racan said, quoting Article 15 of the UN Convention on Maritime Law,
which says that the sea border goes along the middle of the bay.
Racan hoped incidents in Piran Bay would not escalate further
before Oct. 1, when a Croatian-Slovene agreement on local border
traffic and cooperation might go into force. The PM was also hopeful
the Slovene side would make its own contribution.
Since Aug. 5, Slovene fishing boats entered Croatian territorial
waters in Piran Bay on five occasions, twice accompanied by a
Slovene police boat.
Due to these incidents, the two states exchanges protest notes and
held several rounds of negotiations at various diplomatic levels.
(hina) ha