UMAG, Sept 15 (Hina) - Croatian and Slovene fishermen agreed on Sunday on the extension of a moratorium on the sea by 23 September, and in this period they will restrain from fishing in the contentious section of Piran Bay-Savudrija
Bay.
UMAG, Sept 15 (Hina) - Croatian and Slovene fishermen agreed on
Sunday on the extension of a moratorium on the sea by 23 September,
and in this period they will restrain from fishing in the
contentious section of Piran Bay-Savudrija Bay. #L#
Following their talks in the Croatian town of Umag, which lasted
three and a half hours behind the closed door, one of the Slovene
negotiators, Fabio Steffe said the Slovene fishermen were aware
that there was no full reciprocity in the fishing.
Therefore, they would like to ensure their position so that they
would be allowed to fish until Lovrecica off the Croatian shore
between Novigrad and Umag.
According to Steffe, this will help avert new incidents at the
boundary line in Piran Bay-Savudrija Bay.
He added that Slovene fishermen, in consultation with their
Croatian counterparts, would accept a revised agreement on local
border traffic and cooperation, if the revised version is confirmed
by the two countries' governments.
A leader of Croatian fishermen, Daniele Kolec, refused the Slovene
proposal for their possible fishing until Lovrecica, and insisted
on the middle line of Piran Bay - Savudrija Bay, as the boundary line
respected by Croatian fishermen in the future as well.
Kolec reiterated that the Croatian side accepted the said agreement
on local border traffic and cooperation, except the provisions on
the commercial fishing, as, he says, "there is no interest in
reciprocity" given that Croats do not want to fish in the Slovene
waters.
Kolec and Steffe confirmed that Slovene fishermen had received a
document on the Zagreb meeting between Croatian Premier Ivica Racan
and his Slovene colleague Janez Drnovsek, while the Croatian
fishermen did not receive any paper on the matter. The Slovene
fishermen also met their PM Drnovsek, but the Croats did not with
Racan.
Kolec said the Croatian fishermen were willing to fish together
with Slovenians in the contentious triangle between the middle of
Piran Bay and the line of the Slovene police controls, but only for
test case.
The two negotiators agreed that the situation had changed in
Slovenia following the latest Racan-Drnovsek meeting when it was
concluded that it should be made possible for fishermen of the two
countries to fish together in the disputable section.
"Croatian fishermen are tired and fed up with politics, and that is
why they will let unions take over bids to solve the dispute in Piran
Bay - Savudrija Bay," Kolec said upon the Umag negotiations. He
added that in such case local fishermen were no longer in conflict
with their Slovene colleagues but with the Croatian government.
Delegations of the Croatian and Slovene fishermen will hold their
next meeting on 23 September in the Slovene coastal town of Izola.
(hina) ms