JOHANNESBURG, Sep 3 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in Johannesburg on Tuesday that today's negotiations between Croatian and Slovenian fisherman in Piran Bay indicated that the main problem in that region is the result
of the right to fishing in the waters of a neighbouring country which is guaranteed to fisherman of both countries by a cross-border traffic agreement.
JOHANNESBURG, Sep 3 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said
in Johannesburg on Tuesday that today's negotiations between
Croatian and Slovenian fisherman in Piran Bay indicated that the
main problem in that region is the result of the right to fishing in
the waters of a neighbouring country which is guaranteed to
fisherman of both countries by a cross-border traffic agreement.
#L#
The agreement refers to cross-border traffic and fishing in Piran
Bay. It was signed by the former foreign minister, Mate Granic,
President Mesic said to Croatian journalists in Johannesburg.
According to the agreement, Slovene fisherman can come to the
Croatian waters to a certain line and visa versa, Croatian
fisherman into the Slovene waters, however, due to the poor fishing
fund available in the Slovene waters, Croatian fisherman are not
interested in using the Slovene waters while Slovene fishermen are
interested in the Croatian waters.
Mate Granic (president of the Democratic Centre) is now collecting
signatures against something that does not exist yet he should
explain what Slovenia gained with that agreement and what Croatia
gained, Mesic said, referring to a petition organised by the
Democratic Centre, headed by the former chief of Croatia's
diplomacy, against the initialled border agreement with Slovenia.
President Mesic also estimated that the Croatian public was being
unnecessarily burdened by an agreement that was initialled by
Premier Ivica Racan because the agreement was rejected and had no
legal value.
Asked about the application of the cross-border agreement, Mesic
said that it would be applied "if we act completely in line with the
rule of law", and added that it was possible to find a better
solution.
Asked about his opinion on who should be a possible arbitrator,
regarding the sea border with Slovenia if it should come to that,
President Mesic said that he favoured French expert, Robert
Badinter, the head of an international commission that in 1991
established that the former republic borders of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia should be the borders of the newly
established countries.
(hina) sp it sb