LJUBLJANA, Nov 23 (Hina) - Slovenia-Croatia relations are dominated by plots which have not been resolved due to the two neighbours' different foreign policy priorities and the populism and prejudices present in current affairs,
Slovene President Milan Kucan told Maribor's daily Vecer of Saturday.
LJUBLJANA, Nov 23 (Hina) - Slovenia-Croatia relations are
dominated by plots which have not been resolved due to the two
neighbours' different foreign policy priorities and the populism
and prejudices present in current affairs, Slovene President Milan
Kucan told Maribor's daily Vecer of Saturday. #L#
Kucan said an important point was how the two countries came to the
realisation that in today's world they had the same interests -
peace, security, democracy and well-being for their citizens.
"I am sorry Croatia has moved away from that realisation and today
is setting different priorities. It will be possible to resolve
without prejudice even demanding border-related issues, as real
issues, once it is realised that cooperation and partnership with
Slovenia are the shortest way out of the hell Croatia went through,"
said the Slovene leader.
Dealing with such demanding issues will require that politicians
resist "populist provocation," said Kucan, adding the regulation
of relations would call for time to grow up and temporary
arrangements which ensured normal living for residents on both
sides of the border.
Asked about his recent interview in Ljubljana with investigators
from the U.N. war crimes tribunal at The Hague, Kucan said that if
asked he would go to testify at the trial of former Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic.
Kucan said the decision about his testimony would depend on the
prosecutors as he did not possess reliable information about the
war in Croatia and Bosnia after the former Yugoslav army withdrew
from Slovenia.
Nobody in Slovenia can refuse the tribunal's call to testify
because of the cooperation agreement with the U.N. court, Kucan
said.
(hina) ha