CROATIAN, SLOVENE FISHERMEN AGREE TO EXTEND MORATORIUM ON FISHING

PIRAN, Sept 7 (Hina) - Slovene and Croatian fishermen agreed on Saturday to extend the existing moratorium on fishing in Piran Bay until September 15, by which time they will refrain from fishing in the contentious part of the bay. #L# After a four-hour meeting which was held behind closed doors at the Piran town hall, the head of the Buje region fishermen, Daniele Kolec, and his Slovene counterpart from Piran, Zlatko Novogradec, held a press conference. According to a joint statement, both sides will try to reach agreement on fishing in the contentious part of Piran Bay in the interest of all sides until the next meeting of fishermen in Umag on September 15. It is also stressed that Croatian fishermen have proposed joint police control in the contentious area. Both sides support the Agreement on Local Border Traffic, however, it needs to be partially amended because Croatian fishermen should be enabled to fish in the Slovene waters as Slovene fishermen can fish in the Croatian waters as far as the Lim Channel. However, Croatian fishermen are not interested in that, Kolec said. Kolec and Novogradec confirmed that today's meeting was held in a friendly and constructive atmosphere. Kolec said the meeting was a step forward in Croatian-Slovene relations, which Novogradec confirmed. "Today's meeting should encourage politicians on both sides to start settling border problems in the quickest and best way possible," Kolec said. Responding to a comment by a Slovene reporter that international arbitration could last as long as ten years, Kolec said there were many speedier and more efficient solutions, but that required good faith from both sides. (hina) rml