CROATIAN FISHERMEN DISSATISFIED WITH REGIME OF FISHING IN BAY

PULA, Sept 19 (Hina) - Istrian fishermen are not satisfied with Thursday's decision of the Croatian and Slovene governments to accept the temporary regime of the fishing in Piran Bay, while their Slovene counterparts regard the agreement as good. #L# On 10 September, Croatian and Slovene premiers Ivica Racan and Janez Drnovsek agreed on the temporary regime of the fishing, and on Thursday (19 September) the two governments accepted a fishing code which will be in force between Umag and Ancarano in the coming three months. The temporary regime is going into effect as of Monday, 23 September. The leader of local fishermen's guild, Daniele Kolec, told reporters that Croatian fishermen would continue fishing until the middle line in Piran Bay. He added that the Croatian fishermen would perhaps not go to a meeting, scheduled for 23 September in Izola with their Slovene colleagues, given that, he said, the meetings they had held so far were pointless and only took much time and money from fishermen. Another local fishermen, Danilo Latin, described the government's decision as unacceptable in the legal and institutionalised sense, and said that it "is the legalisation of the first step towards the gradual destruction of the Croatian state." Latin accused the Croatian government of accepting the tacit annexation of the Croatian territory to the benefit of Slovenia. Istria County Prefect Ivan Jakovcic voiced satisfaction with Thursday's decision made by the government. He believes that it contains many elements on which he insisted and proposed to Zagreb and fishermen. The leader of Slovene fishermen's guild, Zlatko Novogradec, described the Croatian government's decision as positive for Slovene fishermen, but he said he did not know whether Croatian fishermen would agree on it. (hina) ms sb