LJUBLJANA, Aug 29 (Hina) - President Milan Kucan told Slovenia's national network of non-commercial radio stations on Thursday that Slovenia and Croatia should settle their border dispute bilaterally, without international
arbitration.
LJUBLJANA, Aug 29 (Hina) - President Milan Kucan told Slovenia's
national network of non-commercial radio stations on Thursday that
Slovenia and Croatia should settle their border dispute
bilaterally, without international arbitration. #L#
"The meeting which Prime Minister Janez Drnovsek has been proposing
to the Croatian side for so long should show whether the sensitive
issues can be solved as in the past, with both governments and
states acting responsibly, or if we should indeed seek arbitration
and thus in a certain way acknowledge that we are incompetent, that
there is no willingness or that we are incapable of opposing public
opinion, which it is easier to inflame than put out," said Kucan.
He stated there was no need for the Slovene side to constantly
comment on the border incidents as the Slovene policy was unanimous
about and had taken its position on the matter long ago.
"The tragic part of the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia
began with a media war which completely poisoned the climate. It
appears that we are approaching the situation where the media war
between Slovenia and Croatia might get out of hand, bringing into
question sensible thinking about objective joint interests," said
Kucan.
As for Croatia's arrest of Josko Joras, a Slovene citizen residing
on Croatian territory, Kucan said that Slovenia immediately
protested after he was taken into custody as it cannot agree to the
stance that the border on land is determined and that on the sea is
not.
Kucan said PM Drnovsek agreed with his position that Slovenia
should help the former depositors in Ljubljanska Bank by keeping
the issue open until negotiations on succession to the ex-
Yugoslavia were over.
(hina) ha sb