ZAGREB, July 19 (Hina) - The Croatian government has accepted an agreement with Slovenia on the nuclear power plant Krsko and made a final decision to initial an agreement on the Croatian-Slovene border, Prime Minister Ivica Racan
said. "The government has accepted a report on talks on a joint state border and decided to initial the agreement," Racan told reporters after today's closed-door government session. "The government has adopted the agreement on Krsko and will forward it to parliament for ratification," he added. A day earlier, after a session of the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs at which he presented the agreement on the border, Racan told reporters the climate in parliament for its adoption was not favourable at the moment. Racan confirmed that the agreement envisaged Slovenia's access to the open sea through Croatia's territorial waters at the Bay of Piran. He added that he coul
ZAGREB, July 19 (Hina) - The Croatian government has accepted an
agreement with Slovenia on the nuclear power plant Krsko and made a
final decision to initial an agreement on the Croatian-Slovene
border, Prime Minister Ivica Racan said.
"The government has accepted a report on talks on a joint state
border and decided to initial the agreement," Racan told reporters
after today's closed-door government session.
"The government has adopted the agreement on Krsko and will forward
it to parliament for ratification," he added.
A day earlier, after a session of the parliamentary Committee on
Foreign Affairs at which he presented the agreement on the border,
Racan told reporters the climate in parliament for its adoption was
not favourable at the moment.
Racan confirmed that the agreement envisaged Slovenia's access to
the open sea through Croatia's territorial waters at the Bay of
Piran. He added that he could not comment on details until the
agreement was signed.
Commenting on his statement of yesterday that political conditions
for the ratification of the agreement are still non-existent, Racan
said the government would carry out its part of the job regarding
the state border.
During intensive negotiating "yesterday, last night and this
morning", conditions have been created for the agreement to be
initialled at this stage of the talks, he said.
Racan said that some open questions regarding the border have been
resolved during the negotiations.
"The dispute about the land border regarding the famous house of Mr.
Joras and the surrounding area has been resolved... this has
enabled us to initial the agreement," Racan said, adding the
contentious area remains part of Croatia's territory.
Racan reiterated the government's stand in principle that disputes
between the two countries can be resolved only through compromise.
"That attitude was present in the resolution of the long-lasting
problem of Krsko and open border questions and I believe it will be
present during the resolution of the third question, the debt to
Ljubljanska Banka depositors," Racan said.
The Prime Minister hopes the Slovene parliament will ratify a
previously signed local border agreement "to the benefit of people
living on both sides of the border."
It is important for both countries to solve mutual problems without
the mediation of a third side, he said.
(hina) sb rml